The Return of Barbie - Part One

Earlier this year I created an exhibition called When Is A Doll Not A Doll? We originally wanted to title it When is a Barbie not a Barbie? but we knew we would have problems with Mattel. 
     The show was a study of vintage Barbie dolls photographed in a kind of portraiture that sought to infuse the plastic dolls with personality. The curator of the show at Bruno David Gallery described them as "liberating Barbie from her box and placing her again in the realm of the imagination". Several of the photographs from the show went on to an additional exhibit, Beneath the Valley of the Dolls, at the Todd Browning Gallery in Los Angeles.
     I continue to look for more opportunities to exhibit this collection and occasionally, I take another look at a Barbie doll to see what else I can find in the American icon. This week and next, I'll show you two new portraits that answer the question, When Is A Doll Not A Doll?