Tragic photographer’s images boost city’s cultural ambition

Only about 120 images of the 800 Woodman produced in her short career have been published or exhibited, and 18 of them are on display at the Ferens.

Woodman, who is best known for her small, black and white but strikingly unconventional self-portraits, took her own life at the age of 22 in 1981, but is now achieving much critical acclaim.

The exhibition features photographs that once belonged to her boyfriend and several include personal messages.

It has been put together through Art in Yorkshire, supported by the Tate, and is part of Artist Rooms, a new collection of contemporary art held by the Tate and National Galleries of Scotland which is being shared with the nation.

Towards the end of the year a major touring retrospective of Woodman’s work is being mounted by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which will tour to the Guggenheim in New York.

Coun Terry Geraghty, portfolio holder for leisure and culture at Hull Council, said: “It’s a fantastic coup for Hull to get such a high profile exhibition on loan from the Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland, and is in line with our vision of making Hull a cultural centre.”