Charlotte Dumas has a knack for photographing animals. Over the past decade, the young Dutch artist has made intimate portraits of dogs, horses, and wolves that compassionately reveal the reasons why we admire these enigmatic creatures. Mixing her knowledge of Old Master portrait paintings with an eye for striking photographic poses, Dumas has documented stray dogs on the streets of Palermo and in the shelters of New York City, police horses in their stables in Rotterdam and Rome, and wild wolves roaming the forests of Norway and Sweden.
Celebrated in the New York Times Magazine last year for her photographs of search and rescue dogs from 9/11, Dumas has followed that series with an equally important look at service animals for a solo exhibition in Washington, DC. Anima , which is on view at the Corcoran Gallery of Art through October 28, presents three earlier bodies of work with a newly commissioned series on burial horses that carry soldiers to their final resting place in traditional military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Click through to see a selection of images from the show, and to watch a video of the photographer at work.
Charlotte Dumas, Tom Tom, Palermo, Sicily, 2008. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 29 1/2 x 39 2/5 inches. Collection De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art. Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam / Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, HSH, Palermo, Sicily, 2008. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 31 1/2 x 23 3/5 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, An odd sign, Palermo, Sicily, 2008. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 29 1/2 x 39 2/5 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam / Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Nivero, Palermo, Sicily, 2008. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 29 1/2 x 39 2/5 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Barney, Palermo, Sicily, 2008. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 29 1/2 x 39 2/5 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Vincennes 3, Paris, France, 2006. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 23 3/5 x 17 7/10 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Baiardo, La Favorita, Palermo, Sicily, 2006. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 23 3/5 x 17 7/10 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Peter, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, 2012. Pigment inkjet print, 35 x 47 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Remingo, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, 2012. Pigment inkjet print, 52 x 69 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Gallery, New York/Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Erie, Kolmarden, Sweden, 2005. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 29 x 37 2/5 inches. Collection Julie Saul Gallery, New York. Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Taza, Lake George, Colorado, 2005. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 23 3/5 x 31 1/2 inches. Collection De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas, Ursa, Dolhain, Belgium, 2005. Chromogenic color (Type-C) print, 23 3/5 x 31 1/2 inches. Collection De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam/Julie Saul Gallery, New York. © Charlotte Dumas
Charlotte Dumas: Anima July 14–October 28 from Corcoran Gallery of Art on Vimeo.