Hands At The Parrish

Hands, in every imaginable interpretation, are the subject of an exhibit of photographs that opens this weekend at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton.

"Collection in Context: Selected Contemporary Photographs of Hands From the Collection of Henry Mendelssohn Buhl" will open on Saturday and run through Jan. 4.

The photographs, dating from 1947 to 1995, are by 67 artists, including such masters as Richard Avedon, Judy Dater, William Eggleston, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Frank, Annie Liebovitz, Sally Mann, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, and Cindy Sherman.

Contemporary Spirit

According to the show's curator, Marianne Courville, "In 'Collection in Context,' the image of the hand reflects the spirit of contemporary photographic art, a spirit defined by disparity and integration among an expanding range of styles from the traditional, with its sense of formal training and documentary concerns, to the conceptual, in which photographic techniques are used to challenge the veracity of conventional representation."

There are famous hands - Mick Jagger, Leon Golub, Picasso - and the tragic hands of murder victims and hookers. There are hands rolling cigars, hands plucking chickens, hands blessing, and hands damning. And perhaps the most chilling image is Gilles Peress's photo of a Bosnian child, a casualty of war, who has no hands.

Mr. Buhl, the collector, will join Ms. Courville for a discussion of the photographs on Saturday at 5 p.m. The talk will focus on Mr. Buhl's motivations and interests as a collector and Ms. Courville will discuss the collection's content and historical significance. A reception will follow from 6 to 8 p.m.