This catalog to the exhibition “Portraying Artists:Photographs by Walter Weissman” which accompanies the exhibition of the same name at The Museum at Guild Hall, East Hampton, New York from October 24, 2015 to January 3, 2016 is now in it’s final stage of design and ready for printing.
Fund and reserve your copy today of “Portraying Artists” which takes an insider’s look at the major artists, authors, designers and musicians of our time. In addition to making a financial contribution to this project I encourage you to contact me with your feedback and commentary. Send along with your financial contribution an email or blog about what you like of this project. Keep in mind that this project through Rockethub and Artspire / NYFA is about an exchange of ideas and goods where you receive one of my catalogs, brochures, postcards or photographs.
Get your copy of the catalog which includes 30 photographs of Billy Joel, Yoko Ono, Calvin Klein, Edward Albee, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Elaine de Kooning, Richard Serra, William Wegman, Jeff Koons, Julian Schnabel, Larry Rivers, Chuck Close, Donald Sultan, Ross Bleckner, Betty Friedan, Dan Flavin, Dennis Oppenheim, Eric Fischl, Arman, Joe Bradley, Jose Lerma, Joseph Kosuth, Eunice Golden, May Stevens, Gilbert & George, Irving Petlin, Andreas Serrano and Kieth Sonnier contributes to an understanding of the history and cultural heritage of our society as it effects the international culture of the late 20th and early 21st century. This group of archival photos contributes to fulfilling the need for a record of that time as both documentary photography and fine art portraiture.
Creating photographs at museums and galleries for more than two decades I have amassed a collection of images, which touches upon the cultural highlights of New York’s creative community. Major personalities from the visual, literary, performing and design arts have participated as subjects in my photographic process. The museum as a hall of portraits lends itself as a place for creating photo portraits within its galleries. The museum and gallery setting exists as my personal photo studio, my workshop, and my work venue for making art. Subsequently, the museum as photo studio became my studio, as natural as the street is to those photographers who have made that their studio. The photographs here are to invite you into a world of creative energy and visual stimuli whereby you can share a part of our living cultural heritage and history that nurtures creative aspiration on all of our parts. Here we see, share and come to understand ourselves as artists where we look to the best of us as our mentors and collaborators in the arts and culture.
With these portraits I evolved and refined my own style of photography that defines my own personal photographic passion and vision. As a photographer since my early teenage years these portraits are seminal works in my career that describe an arc around a time in the art world of which I am intimately involved with: participating, debating, witnessing, chronicling, writing and exhibiting along side those I photographed. As an artist having the camaraderie, understanding and affinity with the range of emotions endemic and intrinsic to artists my focal point is derived and based in a deep knowledge and empathy for my subjects. It comes from a core understanding cemented in a crucible of the creative process – shooting from the inside out.
Designed by Kathleen Bifulco the catalog contains an essay by The Museum Director / Chief Curator Ms.Christina M. Strassfield; an artist statement by the photographer; along with biographical and career notes. With a print run of a 1,000 copies it is a 36 page 8 1/2” x 8 1/2” ISBN numbered, bar coded, perfect bound book.
Tax-deductible contributions towards the goal of $5,000.00 will cover the costs of designing, editing, producing and printing. When printed it will sell for $20.00 in bookstores, museum gift shops and online. When making a $150.00 contribution or more now, you reserve your copy today.
Please note that the framed 20” x 24” photographs of Robert Rauschenberg, Elaine de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, Larry Rivers, Chuck Close, Donald Sultan, Dan Flavin, Dennis Oppenheim, Ross Bleckner, Eric Fischl, Billy Joel, Calvin Klein, Arman, Betty Friedan and Edward Albee are now in the Permanent Collection of The Museum at Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY.
“What utterly wonderful photographs! And of real historical importance. Wonderful you had the wit to take them.” – Dr. Alan Wallach, Ralph H. Wark Professor of Art and Art History and Professor of American Studies Emeritus, The College of William and Mary.