MODÈLE VIVANT
MODÈLE VIVANT
FEBRUARY 17 — FEBRUARY 22, 2025
PRIVATE RESIDENCE, BEVERLY HILLS, CA I
-
RITA ACKERMANN
ISABELLE ALBUQUERQUE
OLGA DE AMARAL
CASEY BOLDING
DARCY BRENNA
SASHA BRODSKY
ANNA CALLEJA
STAN EDMONDSON
BUCK ELLISON
ELLA ROSE FLOOD
VICTORIA GITMAN
ANNABELLE AGBO GODEAU
NATHANAËLLE HERBELIN
MAX XENO KARNIG
ALEX KATZ
AUBREY LEVINTHAL
MEGAN MARRIN
VIOLETA MAYA
ALICE NEEL
VANESSA RAW
KEN D RESSEGER
JOAN SEMMEL
EMMI WHITEHORSE
CHLOE WISE
JOSEPH YAEGER
TIANYUE ZHONG
EXHIBITION TEXT
Jack Siebert presents his third exhibition in Los Angeles, a group show featuring works by Rita Ackermann, Isabelle Albuquerque, Olga De Amaral, Casey Bolding, Darcy Brenna, Sasha Brodsky, Anna Calleja, Stan Edmondson, Buck Ellison, Ella Rose Flood, Victoria Gitman, Annabelle Agbo Godeau, Nathanaëlle Herbelin, Max Xeno Karnig, Alex Katz, Aubrey Levinthal, Megan Marrin, Violeta Maya, Alice Neel, Vanessa Raw, Ken D Resseger, Joan Semmel, Emmi Whitehorse, Chloe Wise, Joseph Yaeger, and Tianyue Zhong. The exhibition will take place in a 1960 mid-century home, originally commissioned by Walt Disney.
When creating art from life, artists face the challenge of capturing both the physical body and the intangible qualities that define a subject—personality, emotion, and presence. The portrayal of a living model (a “modèle vivant”) is more than an exercise in technical prowess; it encourages artists to see beyond what’s visible and reinterpret reality.
For much of art history, portraiture served as a way to record a subject’s likeness—immortalizing their appearance and poise. Individuals, often cloaked in elaborate gowns or waistcoats, sat confidently in front of ornate interiors or monochromatic backdrops. In Modèle Vivant, portraiture becomes a more democratic medium—documenting diverse subjects and experiences, while still acting as a form of recordkeeping.
In Nathanaëlle Herbelin’s Modèle Vivant (2021), the exhibition’s namesake, the focus is on capturing the live model in a fleeting, private moment. The painting highlights vulnerability over idealization, and prioritizes unfiltered honesty over capturing elegance or social status. Herbelin’s model sits nude and unposed, stripped of clothing and accoutrements that might impose barriers or signal status. Freed from decorum, we are given an intimate glimpse into her unguarded state.
Throughout the exhibition, portraits function as both a medium of memory and a tool for envisioning a subject’s future—freezing moments in time while suggesting possibilities yet to unfold. Ken D. Resseger’s interiors capture this tension, existing somewhere between the past and future. The warm, layered brushstrokes suggest a sense of history, as though these rooms have been lived in for years. Paradoxically, despite the absence of people, these paintings feel just as human as the inhabitants we imagine once occupied them–leaving viewers to wonder when they left and if they will return. A draped jacket over a chair hints at a recent presence, while an open book suggests a momentary abandonment, as if the scenes are caught between actions. Resseger’s interiors act as stand-in portraits; much like a traditional portrait, his objects tell stories about who a person is, what they cherish, and how they spend their time.
Works like Victoria Gitman’s Untitled (2020) expand conventional ideas of portraiture by exploring the concept of identity through personal items. Instead of relying on a physical likeness, Gitman suggests that belongings can reflect who a person is. Her sequined fabric doesn’t represent a specific individual, but rather the external markers people use to define themselves—such as fashion, presentation, or other visible symbols of identity.
Modèle Vivant brings together a group of artists whose works act as externalized memories, preserving their subjects’ physical presence through their own lens.
Text by Mimi Walker
