Tanyth Berkeley American, 1969
Tanyth Berkeley makes portraits of friends and people she first encounters in the city, often returning to the same sitters over time. Natural light, color and deliberately held poses lend the photographs a painterly quality. Her attention to distinctive faces and gestures offers a view of beauty outside the conventions of fashion and advertising.
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Eleanor Spring Day, 2006
Born 1969, Hollywood, CA; lives and works in New York City.
Tanyth Berkeley first achieved recognition for her 2002-2004 "Orchidaceae" series, showcasing portraits of women she met on the New York subway and photographed in parks. Her influences include painters such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Hieronymus Bosch.
Berkeley's representation of women, photographed in everyday environments, captures qualities that redefine the traditional perception of beauty.
Berkeley earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from Columbia University in 2004. In 2007, the New York Museum of Modern Art included her work in their "New Photography" exhibition.
Selected Collections and Exhibitions:
Denver Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Columbus Museum of Art