Where Have All the Babies Gone?

by Art Fag City on January 20, 2009 · 37 comments Blurb

Babies as subject matter enjoyed a long run of great popularity amongst painters up until the 20th century. Since then their representation has really fallen off, as evidenced by artnet’s returned search results using the word “baby”. Two images from that query seemed particularly worthy of reposting, so I’m listing them below.

Shi Jinsong, Baby Carriage, Sickle Version, 2007

The best carriage of death I’ve seen yet. Ponder the baby’s absence!

Gary Hume, Big Baby, 2005, gloss paint on aluminium

Wherein babies resemble penises.

Does good contemporary art actually depicting babies exist? I’m exing photographer Jill Greenberg from the list of potentials — the theatrical in that work doesn’t appeal to me — but past that, I’ve got one or two cherubs I think worth consideration and that’s it. Anyone care to throw in a few names of young artists working with babies as subject matter in a good way?

{ 36 comments }

Rachel Jones January 20, 2009 at 8:28 pm: Well, she’s not very young, so I don’t know if she fits your description, but having just revisited Marlene Dumas’ survey at MOMA, you can’t help but be struck by the 4 large paintings of babies in the second room of the show. It’s like she has captured the awkward, creepy appearance that newborns can have but no one ever talks about…
Rachel Jones January 20, 2009 at 3:28 pm: Well, she’s not very young, so I don’t know if she fits your description, but having just revisited Marlene Dumas’ survey at MOMA, you can’t help but be struck by the 4 large paintings of babies in the second room of the show. It’s like she has captured the awkward, creepy appearance that newborns can have but no one ever talks about…
suky January 20, 2009 at 8:46 pm: What about Cathy Wilkes?
suky January 20, 2009 at 3:46 pm: What about Cathy Wilkes?
Elaine January 20, 2009 at 9:29 pm: “Contemporary” and “baby” immediately brought 2 paintings to mind by Scott Sjobakken. You can see both in the Paintings section on his site, http://www.sjobakken.com
Elaine January 20, 2009 at 4:29 pm: “Contemporary” and “baby” immediately brought 2 paintings to mind by Scott Sjobakken. You can see both in the Paintings section on his site, http://www.sjobakken.com
Kevin Regan January 20, 2009 at 9:35 pm: Charles Ray’s “Family Romance”(1993) and Robert Gober’s cribs are the first things that come to my mind but I would not call these guys “young artists”.

Catherine Opie’s “Self-portrait/Nursing” (2004)…

Did you see Sharon Butler’s “Neo-Maternalism” article?

http://www.brooklynrail.org/2008/12/artseen/neo-maternalism-contemporary-artists-approach-to-motherhood

It’s very hard to find babies in “advanced art” BUT sex is everywhere.
Kevin Regan January 20, 2009 at 4:35 pm: Charles Ray’s “Family Romance”(1993) and Robert Gober’s cribs are the first things that come to my mind but I would not call these guys “young artists”.

Catherine Opie’s “Self-portrait/Nursing” (2004)…

Did you see Sharon Butler’s “Neo-Maternalism” article?

http://www.brooklynrail.org/2008/12/artseen/neo-maternalism-contemporary-artists-approach-to-motherhood

It’s very hard to find babies in “advanced art” BUT sex is everywhere.
Art Fag City January 20, 2009 at 9:43 pm: Catherine Opie is a great one. I saw that last month and forgot about it…lord knows how!
Art Fag City January 20, 2009 at 4:43 pm: Catherine Opie is a great one. I saw that last month and forgot about it…lord knows how!
giovanni January 20, 2009 at 10:09 pm: Ron Mueck’s gigantic babies!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/millem101/211212311/

http://mocoloco.com/art/archives/001987.php
giovanni January 20, 2009 at 5:09 pm: Ron Mueck’s gigantic babies!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/millem101/211212311/

http://mocoloco.com/art/archives/001987.php
Jesse Patrick Martin January 20, 2009 at 10:32 pm: Loretta Lux & Ron Mueck?
Jesse Patrick Martin January 20, 2009 at 5:32 pm: Loretta Lux & Ron Mueck?
meridith January 20, 2009 at 11:03 pm: you’ve probably already seen this —
http://www.33bond.com/exhibitions/E6-MuzzleOfBees_p.html
more baby buggies
meridith January 20, 2009 at 6:03 pm: you’ve probably already seen this —
http://www.33bond.com/exhibitions/E6-MuzzleOfBees_p.html
more baby buggies
eageageag January 21, 2009 at 12:09 am: Where Have All the Babies Gone?

They’re in the blender.
eageageag January 20, 2009 at 7:09 pm: Where Have All the Babies Gone?

They’re in the blender.
martin January 21, 2009 at 12:14 am: Barnaby Whitfield….
martin January 20, 2009 at 7:14 pm: Barnaby Whitfield….
Art Fag City January 21, 2009 at 2:05 am: @meridith. Yeah — but I like that baby buggy, so it didn’t get listed. It’s also without a baby.
Art Fag City January 20, 2009 at 9:05 pm: @meridith. Yeah — but I like that baby buggy, so it didn’t get listed. It’s also without a baby.
nikki January 21, 2009 at 8:12 am: http://www.artwindow.fr/index.php?option=com_image&hit=1&picid=5923

A cute newborn baby

Nikki
nikki January 21, 2009 at 3:12 am: http://www.artwindow.fr/index.php?option=com_image&hit=1&picid=5923

A cute newborn baby

Nikki
- January 21, 2009 at 7:50 am: I have a theory that babies in art seem rare because of a collective guilt complex. 50,000 is a big number to think about when only 3% is from health issues or attacks. You know what I’m talking about.
- January 21, 2009 at 12:50 pm: I have a theory that babies in art seem rare because of a collective guilt complex. 50,000 is a big number to think about when only 3% is from health issues or attacks. You know what I’m talking about.
Virginia January 21, 2009 at 4:32 pm: How about Francesca Fuchs? Her work is both of babies and nursing. http://www.francescafuchs.com/current/current.html
Virginia January 21, 2009 at 11:32 am: How about Francesca Fuchs? Her work is both of babies and nursing. http://www.francescafuchs.com/current/current.html
greg.org January 21, 2009 at 5:45 pm: Elmgreen & Dragset leave babies in the backseat of cars at in front of fake ATM’s

http://greg.org/archive/2005/03/18/from_the_armory_show_lost_found_dept.html

They’re a bit older now, but I like the way Guy Ben Ner has been working his into his videos; it’s an interesting comment on the work vs family, home vs studio dynamic that’s usually considered to be mom thing.
greg.org January 21, 2009 at 12:45 pm: Elmgreen & Dragset leave babies in the backseat of cars at in front of fake ATM’s

http://greg.org/archive/2005/03/18/from_the_armory_show_lost_found_dept.html

They’re a bit older now, but I like the way Guy Ben Ner has been working his into his videos; it’s an interesting comment on the work vs family, home vs studio dynamic that’s usually considered to be mom thing.
agnes January 22, 2009 at 12:42 am: Well, I’m not young, but here’s one: http://www.agnesdebethune.com/phase3/motherAndChild.html
agnes January 21, 2009 at 7:42 pm: Well, I’m not young, but here’s one: http://www.agnesdebethune.com/phase3/motherAndChild.html
pando January 22, 2009 at 1:16 am: Antonio Lopez Garcia:

http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/phlog/archive/2008/04/10/baby-heads.aspx

He also does sculptures of his kids & grandkids. And their heads.
pando January 21, 2009 at 8:16 pm: Antonio Lopez Garcia:

http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/phlog/archive/2008/04/10/baby-heads.aspx

He also does sculptures of his kids & grandkids. And their heads.
L.M. January 23, 2009 at 11:47 pm: Just thought of one I really liked, Beijing Artist Jiang Jie’s piece BE shown a few years ago at the Toronto Sculpture Garden.
L.M. January 23, 2009 at 6:47 pm: Just thought of one I really liked, Beijing Artist Jiang Jie’s piece BE shown a few years ago at the Toronto Sculpture Garden.