Alongside Nocturnes, Secrist Beach presents eleven paintings from Whitney Bedford’s new body of work Leda and the Swan, featuring reinterpretations of a single painting—itself an interpretive work—Luigi Mussini’s Leda and the Swan (1840–1850). The subject, drawn from Greek mythology, has been rendered repeatedly over centuries in painting, sculpture, poetry, and numerous other artistic forms. Depicting the seduction of Leda by the Greek god Zeus, who appears in the form of a swan, the enduring popularity of the myth lends itself to the charged erotic atmosphere of the scene.

Mussini’s version is striking in its detail, form, and execution, resulting in a sensual painting that serves as a constant throughout Bedford’s versions. Her return to this single composition amplifies her interest in repetition as a method: how reiteration alters meaning, and how art history and personal narrative converge through the mechanics of reproduction. Through repetition, the painting ceases to function as a fixed mythological scene and instead becomes a stage for transition across centuries of art history, shifting notions of mastery and originality, and the personal narratives that emerge through sustained return. In this way, the image heightens the visibility of change—whether formal, conceptual, or biographical.

Image: Whitney Bedford, Leda and the Swan (Silver Moon, Blurred Body), 2026. Ink and oil on linen on aluminum stretcher, 24 x 36 inches