Larry Fink: Social Graces | Johnson Museum of Art
English Speaking Union, New York City, December 1975, from the series Social Graces, 1975, Gelatin silver print. Collection of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. Gift of Gary Davis, Class of 1976; 2018.079.004
Written by Trip Avis
June 6th - October 27th, 2024
There is no shortage of class division in the United States. This divide becomes glaringly obvious as we watch famous billionaires expand their coffers publicly. A stark social dichotomy exists between Larry Fink’s native New York City and his adoptive home of Martins Creek, one that the artist tenderly—if not flatteringly—puts on display in Social Graces, his photography collection of affluent Manhattanites and rural Pennsylvania folk. The exhibition presents a battle of debutantes and the salt-of-the-earth, an unlikely aesthetic marriage of urbane and rustic. The two worlds of Social Graces merge in the unspoken desire of the subjects to be recognized and immortalized by the camera’s flash. Fink knowingly capitalized on this: “People like to have their pictures taken. It is a profound aspect of our culture, this compulsion for proof. It allows me to wade into a party.” The revelatory nature of Fink’s work not only offers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of differing societal groups but also acts as a telling reflection of the desire to be known—something deeply, vulnerably human.
Studio 54, New York City, May 1977, from the series Social Graces, 1977, Gelatin silver print. Collection of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. Gift of Gary Davis, Class of 1976; 2018.079.033
All groups across the social strata arguably share the desire to party and celebrate; reveling with friends and loved ones can be a welcome release from the monotony and stress of our daily lives. Whether the mise-en-scène is the pop of Dom Perignon in a gilded ballroom, the fizz of a freshly opened beer bottle on a front porch, a live orchestra in white tie and tails, or the scratchy tunes of a beloved old radio, our pursuit is the same: to feel a sense of uninhibited pleasure and seamless human connection. Parties and other celebrations take center stage in many of Fink’s photographs; among them are English Speaking Union, New York City, December 1975, and Pat Sabatine’s Eighth Birthday Party, April 1977. The former depicts a woman and her dance partner in a waltzing embrace, a cut crystal chandelier looming above her like an ornamental headdress. Her arm is wrapped close around him, her head resting, deep in thought. She doesn’t wear a typical mask of revelry. Her mascara-lashed eyes are wide, deep, and searching. Perhaps she is imagining herself miles away, dancing with someone else. Or maybe it is the tasteful ennui of the upper class revealing itself nakedly across her pouting visage.
Pat Sabatine's eighth birthday party, April 1977, from the series Social Graces, 1977, Gelatin silver print. Collection of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. Gift of Gary Davis, Class of 1976; 2020.040.004
The energy at little Pat Sabatine’s birthday is another brand entirely. There is a playful jaunt to the scene, an organized chaos that envelopes any good party. Behind the opening screened door, a young boy—perhaps Sabatine himself—throws his hand theatrically before his face as if to say: “Huzzah! My cake has arrived.” An older woman, possibly his grandmother, is dutifully eyeing the strawberry-bedecked disc of a cake as she carries it to the porch. She wears a serious expression, protecting her hours-long labor of love. Another arm arches over her to hold the door open for the incoming confection. There is a sense of unspoken camaraderie in the body language of the partygoers, suggesting a family affair. These individuals are looking out for each other, orchestrating their movements accordingly. In capturing the polarity of these social worlds, Fink holds a mirror up to our humanity. He captures longing moments, little kindnesses, and all the nuances in between.
