Art Institute opens Dutch photography show

By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer

An exquisite taste of contemporary Dutch photography opened at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 26 and will continue there until May 5. Titled "In Sight," the works on display show some of the uses to which a group of 13 talented artists have put their cameras and darkroom equipment The Chicago showing, sponsored in part by the LaSalle Bank, is making its only U.S. appearance, though it will continue to be shown in St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. The joint show is mounted in cooperation with the Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam. Approximately 100 pieces are on display from the artists who have contributed to this showing.
What the artists seem to have done is to take relatively prosaic scenes and bring the prints to life, at the same time infusing them with an abstract reality. Themes are from every day life; portraits are of ordinary people; landscapes are sometimes manufactured from both real life and the products of an industrial society. One especially outstanding example of this view is a photograph by Elspeth Diederix whose floral still life seems to stand out from the paper on which it is printed. On close examination, the large flowers that are the centerpiece of the photograph are made from brightly colored plastic shopping bags artfully arranged to seem like giant peonies growing from an ordinary shrub.
The Art Institute is open every day until 4:30 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on Friday. Suggested admission is $12 for adults and $7 for children, seniors and students. However, by going to a local Public Library Branch, card holders may receive a "Check Us Out" card which allows free admission to Chicago residents, not only to the Art Institute but to nine other City museums.