Ilse Bing 1931 and 1986

1986, printed 2020

Ilse Bing 1931 and 1986, 1986, printed 2020. Abe Frajndlich (American, b.1946). Inkjet print; image: 32 x 38 cm (12 5/8 x 14 15/16 in.); paper: 40.4 x 50.6 cm (15 7/8 x 19 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Artist 2020.301 © Estate of Ilse Bing In Ilse Bing’s original 1931 self-portrait, there is a paradox of time: we see a 32-year old Bing in the act of shooting the picture we view. In 1986, Abe Frajndlich had the artist, now 85 years old, pose in a similar set up and recreated her self-portrait, this time in color. In this 2012 composite version, Frajndlich digitally inserted the profile view of Bing from her 1931 self-portrait into his 1986 photograph. Since Bing’s 1931 photograph was a black-and-white image, Frajndlich translated his original from color to match it. This picture was made in 1931, 1986, and 2012.