For Photo London SmithDavidson Gallery has created a presentation of female portraits by three international artists which will research the development of how woman have been portrayed over the past half century.

The emancipation of woman has a direct correlation in the world of photography: from a distant objectification of the female form, to the appreciation of the timeless beauty of women, and finally the independent woman, free to express her individuality.

This special digital exhibition for Photo London 2020 includes unique works by Czech artist Miroslav Tichy. Often regarded as a “peeping tom”, Tichy’s work is in fact highly academic with a strong political connotation.
By capturing everyday women as if he were practicing one of his academic drawing classes Tichy turns towards the female figure as part of a long standing artistic tradition. The subject of the unsuspecting bathing women also directly challenges the Social Realist artistic and political doctrines of the age. 

The timelessness of the female portrait is captured in depth by Belgian photographer Marc Lagrange.
Original polaroids from his “Polaroid” series, unpublished before the artist’s untimely death, show Lagrange’s love for analogue photography and also the understanding and sympathy for his models. Lagrange not only had a great eye but also a great respect for the women in front of his camera, resulting in timeless, sensuous and empowering portraits.The inspiration for Dutch artist Marie Cecile Thijs draws greatly on the Dutch Golden Age painters. Her understanding of the contrast of light and dark is impressive and provides a dramatic and surrealist element to her portraits, which are in their own right utterly contemporary.
The significant ‘Amazon’ series, which is being presented in full range for the first time for Photo London, sees the woman as a powerful and autonomous being, but also as a young and lively character, looking into the world with a youthful confidence.