Staley-Wise Gallery opens today a solo exhibition by Sheila Metzner.
Sheila Metzner’s photographs are unmistakable — totally original and extremely elegant. For over forty years, she has created a body of work that spans the genres of fashion, portraiture, still lifes, and landscapes. The painterly quality of Metzner’s photographs blends aspects of Mannerism and Modernism to forge a singular aesthetic that is closely associated with the best of fashion and decorative arts.
This exhibition presents photographs not previously exhibited in addition to works included in her recent retrospective at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Most of the photographs in this show are Fresson prints: a patented French process imparting sumptuous tonalities and textures, and a pivotal part of Metzner’s creative practice for decades. This exhibition at Staley-Wise Gallery captures an atmosphere of style and sophistication where Metzner’s subjects are brought to life with character, drama, and beauty.
Sheila Metzner was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received her BA in Visual Communications from Pratt Institute before being hired by Doyle Dane Bernach advertising agency as its first female art director. Since the 1970s, Metzner has received international acclaim for her painterly and richly textured fashion and still-life photographs.
In addition to her editorial and commercial projects for the world’s leading brands and publications, Metzner is the author of five monographs. Her work is included in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The International Center of Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, The Chrysler Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, The J. Paul Getty Museum, and The Brooklyn Museum. In 2023, a solo retrospective exhibition of Metzner’s work opened at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Sheila Metzner
December 13, 2024 – February 8, 2025
Staley-Wise Gallery
100 Crosby Street
New York, NY 10012
www.staleywise.com
Opening Reception
December 12, 2024 6-8 PM
