History on repeat
By Alex Rush
In the Brooklyn Museum’s latest show, history repeats itself — literally.
“Even though photographs are historical documents, they’re also weighted with all these questions about the unknown,” said Catherine Morris, the exhibit’s curator. “Lorna Simpson’s arrangement gives the historical photos new stories.”
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaD4EVPJEI8IH_7oBZ-PgeGJvigDx_LmiS9zCtKbS0DiYqZEgKmDcgmIbfkprE3zXn7QXJkzG51Ssy04HAhGRmfRP2RzOoGxW6vFfik8EvzQflfsGVTxjEthGzi5_j-VRL6K7fddVF7Kk/s200/24_LornaSimpson_2011_01_28_BK01b%252CBC%252CFREELANCE%252CWEB.jpg)
A standout among that set is the series “May June July 57/09” (pictured) in which Simpson paired a photo of a glamorous pin-up girl taken in 1957 (above) with recent self-portraits that replicate the model’s pose and clothes, as well as its black-and-white, grainy, spontaneous quality, in order to create a narrative about two characters whose lives happen to be decades apart.
“She’s trying to identify with this woman and create a dialogue with history,” said Morris.
“Lorna Simpson: Gathered,” at the Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718) 638-5000], Jan. 28-Aug. 21. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
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