David Armstrong (photographer): Difference between revisions

'''David Bradley Armstrong''' (May 24, 1954 – October 26, 2014) was aan American photographer based in [[New York (state)|New York.]]

Armstrong was born in 1954, in [[Arlington, Massachusetts]], one of four sons of Robert and Irma Armstrong.<ref name="Paul Vitello 2014">Paul Vitello (October 31, 2014), [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/fashion/news/david-armstrong-photographer-of-subcultures-dies-at-60.html David Armstrong, Photographer of Subcultures, Dies at 60] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> He graduated from the Satya Community School, an alternative high school in CambridgeLincoln, Massachusetts, where he met [[Nan Goldin]] at the age of 14.<ref name="huffingtonpost.com">httpJane Harris, "[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-harris/homework-photographer-dav_b_1142479.html InterviewHome-Work: withPhotographer David Armstrong Talks About His Latest Monograph, April615 12Jefferson Avenue]", 201219 December 2011. Accessed 15 December 2017.</ref> David openly identified as gay.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vitello |first=Paul |date=2014-11-01 |title=David Armstrong, Photographer of Subcultures, Dies at 60 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/fashion/news/david-armstrong-photographer-of-subcultures-dies-at-60.html |access-date=2022-10-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On October 26, 2014, at the age of 60, he died in [[Los Angeles, California]] due to liver cancer.<ref name="Paul Vitello 2014"/>

Armstrong entered into the [[School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|School of the Museum of Fine Arts]] in Boston as a painting major, but soon switched to photography after studying alongside Goldin, with whom he shared an apartment.<ref name="Paul Vitello 2014"/> He attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and [[Cooper Union]] from 1974–781974 to 1978, and he earned a B.F.A from [[Tufts University]] in 1988 and Judy Ann Goldman Fine Art in [[Boston]].<ref name="JedRoot"/>

During the late 1970s, Armstrong became associated with the "[[Boston School (photography)|Boston School]]" of photography, which included artists such as [[Nan Goldin]], [[Mark Morrisroe]] and [[Jack Pierson]].<ref name="huffingtonpost.com"/> <!--Their aesthetic was based on intimate snapshot portraits in saturated color.<ref name="huffingtonpost.com"/> At that time Goldin shot in bw, as did Armstrong.-->

Armstrong first received critical attention for his intimate black and white portraits of men, either lovers orand friends, inwhich sharpwere focus.<ref>Davidshown Armstrong, "The Silver Cord", (New York: Scalo, 1997)</ref> In the nineties, he began to photograph cityscapes and landscapes inat [[softMoMA focusPS1|PS1]]'s to1981''New contrastYork/New withWave'' the resolution of his portraits. Street lightsexhibition, electric signs and carslater arepublished reducedprominently to a sensual mottled blur, complementingin the vividnessmonograph and"The tactilitySilver of his portraitsCord.<ref name="JedRoot">http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/da/armstrong-bio.php JedRoot, David Armstrong, April 12, 2012.</ref>

In 19811996, ArmstrongGoldin created a series of black-and-white portraits which he showed at [[MoMA PS1|PS1]]'s "New York/New Wave" exhibition. In 1996, [[Elisabeth Sussman]], curator of photographs at the [[Whitney Museum]], enlisted Armstrong's help in composing [[Nan Goldin]]’s's first retrospective. SheSussman gained such respect for Armstrong’s eye, she acquired a few of his pieces for the Whitney permanent collection and he was subsequently featured in the Whitney 1994 biennial.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/fashion/interview-with-david-armstrong-photographer.html?pagewanted=all|publisherwork=[[The New York Times]]|title=A Portraitist's Eye Gazes on Fashion|date=2012-04-12|access-date=2017-01-19|first1=William|last1=Van Meter}}</ref>

Armstrong’s work has also appeared in publications such as ''[[Vogue Paris]]'', ''[[Men's Vogue|L'Uomo Vogue]]'', ''[[Arena Homme +]]'', ''[[GQ]]'', ''[[Self Service]]'', ''[[Another Magazine|Another Man]]'' and ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Japanese Vogue]]'' and he has worked on the advertising campaigns of companies such as [[Zegna]], René Lezard, [[Kenneth Cole Productions|Kenneth Cole]], [[Burberry]], [[Puma SE|Puma]], and Barbara Bui.<ref name="JedRoot">{{Cite web |url=http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/da/armstrong-bio.php |title=Jed Root, Inc |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423095449/http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/da/armstrong-bio.php |archive-date=April 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} This link is the source for big chunks of c+p here.</ref> He once shot editorials for ''Wonderland'', ''Vogue Hommes'' and ''[[Purple (magazine)|Purple]]''.<ref name="nytimes.com"/>

Although hishe primaryis subjectsbest includeknown today for his portraits of young boys and men, Armstrong's first solo show at [[Matthew Marks Gallery]] in 1995 was titled ''Landscapes.'' He also released a book of land and cityscapes in 2002[[soft focus]], entitled “All''All Day, Every Day.” ''<ref name="huffingtonpost.com"/>

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[[Category:School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Bostonat Tufts alumni]]

[[Category:ArtistsPhotographers from New York City]]

[[Category:Deaths from liver cancer in California]]