Russia’s Lady Museum Guards

When most people go to museums, they visit to take in the art—not the people who are guarding it. But photographer Andy Freeberg became fascinated not with what the museums in Russia display, but who was displayed along with it. In his “Guardians” series, he captures the unexpected world of female Russian museum guards. Unlike their American counterparts, the Russian guards are not uniformed, they are seated, and almost all are older women. They in effect become part of the scenery itself. Freeberg, whose series is currently on view at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, with another show opening Jan. 24, 2013 at Andrea Meislin Gallery in New York City, uses the museum guards incorporates the guards as equals with the art they guard. The women’s positioning, their clothing, the angles of their faces—all seem almost set-up in the images.
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