Collection by Aaron Britt

Rineke Dijkstra at SFMOMA

Yesterday I was utterly knocked out at the press preview for SFMOMA's new show "Rineke Dijkstra: Retrospective." I'd seen the Dutch photographer's work before in dribs and drabs, but taken as a whole her brand of unflinching portraiture is overwhelming. Dijkstra's photos tend to come in series—adolescents at the beach, a Croatian refugee shot over a span of decades, teenagers in the park—and much of their power comes in a sustained yet varied look at a particular subject. The shots tend to be head-on and massive, at once making heroes of her subjects and opening them up to close scrutiny. Here's a selection of Dijkstra's work, which is on view from February 18th through May 28th in San Francisco. It's her first show of this size in the United States.

Rineke Dijkstra, Olivier, The French Foreign Legion, Quartier Monclair, Djibouti, Djibouti, July 13,2003, 2003; chromogenic print; 49 5/8 in. x 42 1/8 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Olivier, The French Foreign Legion, Quartier Monclair, Djibouti, Djibouti, July 13,2003, 2003; chromogenic print; 49 5/8 in. x 42 1/8 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Shany, Palmachim Israeli Air Force Base, Palmachim, Israel, October 8, 2002, 2002; chromogenic print; 49 5/8 in. x 42 1/8 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Shany, Palmachim Israeli Air Force Base, Palmachim, Israel, October 8, 2002, 2002; chromogenic print; 49 5/8 in. x 42 1/8 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, May 8, 1994; 1994; chromogenic print; 49 5/8 in. x 42 1/8 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, May 8, 1994; 1994; chromogenic print; 49 5/8 in. x 42 1/8 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Long Island, N. Y., USA, July 1, 1993, 1993; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Long Island, N. Y., USA, July 1, 1993, 1993; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Kolobrzeg, Poland, July 26, 1992, 1992; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Kolobrzeg, Poland, July 26, 1992, 1992; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Hilton Head Island, S.C., USA, June 24, 1992; 1992; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Hilton Head Island, S.C., USA, June 24, 1992; 1992; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Self-Portrait, Marnixbad, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 19, 1991; 1991; chromogenic print; 24 7/16 in. x 20 1/2 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Self-Portrait, Marnixbad, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 19, 1991; 1991; chromogenic print; 24 7/16 in. x 20 1/2 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Vondelpark, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 10, 2005, 2005; chromogenic print; 59 5/8 in. x 70 1/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Vondelpark, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 10, 2005, 2005; chromogenic print; 59 5/8 in. x 70 1/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Sefton Park, Liverpool, England, June 10, 2006, 2006; chromogenic print; 53 15/16 in. x 64 9/16 in.; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, purchase through a gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein and the Accessions Committee Fund; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Sefton Park, Liverpool, England, June 10, 2006, 2006; chromogenic print; 53 15/16 in. x 64 9/16 in.; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, purchase through a gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein and the Accessions Committee Fund; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Amy, The Krazyhouse, Liverpool, England, December 23, 2008, 2008; inkjet print; 48 7/8 in. x 40 1/4 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Amy, The Krazyhouse, Liverpool, England, December 23, 2008, 2008; inkjet print; 48 7/8 in. x 40 1/4 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Asylum Center Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands, March 14, 1994, 1994; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Asylum Center Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands, March 14, 1994, 1994; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Wormer, the Netherlands,  February 21, 1998; 1998; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Wormer, the Netherlands, February 21, 1998; 1998; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Leidschendam, the Netherlands, April 13, 2002, 2002; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Leidschendam, the Netherlands, April 13, 2002, 2002; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Leidschendam, the Netherlands, March 24, 2007, 2007; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Leidschendam, the Netherlands, March 24, 2007, 2007; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, June 19, 2008, 2008; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra
Rineke Dijkstra, Almerisa, Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, June 19, 2008, 2008; chromogenic print; 49 3/16 in. x 41 5/16 in. ; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra