Larry Fink's "Vanities' at Schmidt-Dean

When no paparazzi are lurking about, movie stars are photographed for publicity reasons. Thus we see the beautifully lit and composed portrait and fashion layouts in the high-end magazines or the (increasingly rare) scene shots from their latest films that once decorated the lobbies and facades of our movie theaters. The paparazzi, those camera-toting "rude boys" specializing in the candid, shot movie stars the way they don't want to be seen.

Larry Fink is an interesting hybrid. I suppose it would be fair to call him a photojournalist. But since he has chosen to forgo wars and rumors of wars, Fink's special domain seems to be the Hollywood/New York party scene. (Oddly enough, Fink's other interest is the gritty world of boxing.)

His latest exhibition, "Vanities," is like an extended browse through the "Parties" pages of Vanity Fair. Nineteen images are on display, all but one taken at Oscar parties from over the past decade. The show probably holds more interest for movie fans who want to see some of their favorite stars with their guards down. (These are, after all, photographs taken at parties.)

Barkin in mid-smooch

In a way, Fink's guard is down too. Since he's no longer working on commission, he must respect his material even when a more striking effect can be obtained by disrespecting it. Thus his shot of Meryl Streep, far from being a beautifully composed front-on image, shows her glancing away from the camera as she says something to Natalie Portman. The result: You get a striking image of light sculpting Streep's neck and cheekbone, but not something you would necessarily want to use as a lead image for an article about her.

Fink pulls this trick time and again, sometimes obviously (Ellen Barkin caught mid-pucker for a smooch), sometimes more subtly. (It may be a party, but Julie Delpy looks unbearably sad.)

Dennis Hopper's big night

When this technique works, it may well catch the inner-life of his unwitting subject (Lindsay Lohan looks feral and hunted; Warren Beatty looks like a dealmaker, tired and all out of deals to make).

Those actors who have the least invested in their looks come out the best. (Dennis Hopper and Harry Dean Stanton look like a pair of Russian mobsters all dressed up for a big night out on the town.)

This isn't a show to visit for its technical brilliance— other photographers have done similar studies of everything from poets to London gangsters— but it's an interesting social document. When Salgado photographs tuna fishermen or ship-breakers at work, he shows you every aspect of their job. Larry Fink does much the same thing, but with partygoers. After you've seen "Vanities," you realize how much work going to an Oscar party can be.