Now open: Musée de l’Elysée presents the first Swiss exhibition dedicated to the work of famed American photographer Sally Mann (one of ArtSlope’s all-time favorite artists). “The Family, The Land” is devoted to Mann’s work from the last 15 years, powerful examinations of the troubling themes of intimacy and the inexorable passage of time.

Sally Mann’s work is centered on portraits of her children, the result of close, observation as they grew into young adults. The portraits are complemented by landscapes from Mann’s native South (Virginia), revealing hauntingly beautiful and strangely timeless places. Featured series include “Immediate Family,” “Virginia,” “Deep South,” and “What Remains.”

Notably, her work is distinguished by a specific technique, simultaneously traditional and inventive: the use of the large format camera together with a selective use of nineteenth-century processes. Mann is also admired for her mastery of optics and related exposure times, some of which can last several minutes.

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Virginia 42,” 2004

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Emmett 15,” 2004

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Candy Cigarette,” 1989

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Valentine Windsor,” 1998

“The Family, The Land” runs through June 6, 2010.

Musée de l’Elysée
18, avenue de l’Elysée
1014 Lausanne – Switzerland
Tél. ++41 21 316 99 11

*All images © Sally Mann. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery.