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Barbara Morgan

(Buffalo, Kansas, 1900 - 1992, North Tarrytown, New York)

Valerie Bettis: Desperate Heart

1944 (printed c. 1982)

Gelatin silver print

23 x 19 in. (58.4 x 48.3 cm)

Collection of the Akron Art Museum

Museum Acquisition Fund

2002.21

More Information

This image of modern dancer and choreographer Valerie Bettis performing her signature work approaches abstraction. Her body is almost completely obscured by the cascading fabric of her skirt. Morgan photographed other legendary dancers, including Martha Graham, often using double exposures and asymmetrical compositions to bring a sense of movement to a still image.

Keywords
Dress
Dance
Black and White
Leg
United States