In the early 1960s, Idelle Weber began to merge the influence of eighteenth-century shadow portraits with the Pop art vernacular. Her iconic, graphic tableaux explore themes of corporate culture, gender roles, mass media, and politics. Much of her work from this period was inspired by the frequent trips she made to the office with her husband, who was a corporate lawyer in Midtown Manhattan. She is perhaps best-known for her “Men in the Office” series, which depicts anonymous silhouettes of men in suits and subsequently inspired the opening credits of the acclaimed TV series Mad Men (2007–15). Weber’s economic and eloquent use of form and color imbues her subjects with an anonymous, universal character. Her female figures in particular almost always appear isolated. They exercise, sit on swings, or, as in the work presented here, float nude, hovering between the terrestrial and celestial worlds.

Label from Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s, June 30–December 30, 2018