Ernestine Ruben:  Portraits of Sound at Lincoln Center

Portraits of Sound, an exhibition of mixed media images of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Musicians by Ernestine Ruben (BA 1953) opens March 13 at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

In the exhibition, Ruben captures New York Philharmonic musicians as they relate to their instruments and to the sounds they produce, transforming the images to convey her love and perception of music. All sections of the orchestra are included — strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. 

…in ​“Portraits of Sound,” Ruben plays with the limits of portraiture. Following sessions with members of the New York City Philharmonic (in which, she said, she might crawl under a chair in pursuit of the right angle), Ruben manipulated the images in Photoshop to reflect the relationship between music and maker and the experience of performance: an image of the bassoon transforms into bundles of sticks to suggest the tone of wood; a triplicate of a double bass extends across space, communicating oversized sound and physical stature.

- Now Showing | Ernestine Ruben — nytimes​.com

Portraits of Sound
March 13 — June 7, 2014 
Plaza Corridor Galleries, Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center 
40 Lincoln Center Plaza New York, NY 10023