A legendary local photographer is the focus of a new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts
A legendary local photographer is the focus of a new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts beginning February 8 when Elsa Dorfman: Me and My Camera makes its debut. The Cambridge-based artist is widely known for her portraits of both renowned figures—such as poet and personal friend Allen Ginsberg—and everyday folks, yet this display features images where Dorfman has turned the lens of her rare, 20x24 Polaroid camera on herself. About 20 pictures taken over the course of 40 years are included, along with early black-and-white work done for her groundbreaking 1974 book Elsa’s Housebook: A Woman’s Photojournal, which photographically chronicles her close circle of friends, Ginsberg included. A companion exhibit that also explores artists’ depictions of themselves—Personal Space: Self-Portraits on Paper, which showcases prints and drawings by Käthe Kollwitz, Jim Dine, Robert Rauschenberg and more—is on display nearby.
