Hampstead, London 1979

Bill Brandt made this black and white photograph, titled "Hampstead, London," sometime during his career. Brandt's nudes often play with the social boundaries of representation. The positioning of the figure in the stark, domestic interior invites questions about the historical representation of women in art and the politics of the gaze. Was this image made for the gallery wall, or for more private consumption? How would the viewer at the time receive it? To more fully understand Brandt’s work, we need to examine the social and artistic contexts in which he operated. The archive of his personal papers, along with exhibition reviews, and period publications, can provide a rich understanding of this work. Ultimately, this image raises important questions about the complex relationship between art, the body, and the social norms of its time.