David Armstrong
Photographer David Armstrong died yesterday. He was 60. He became associated with “The Boston School,” which included artists and friends like Nan Goldin, Mark Morrisroe and Jack Pierson, the aesthetic being based on intimate snapshot portraits in saturated color. Armstrong entered into the MFA School in Boston as a painting major, but soon switched to photography after studying alongside Goldin, whom he became friends with at the age of 14. Armstrong first received critical attention for his intimate portraits of men, either lovers or friends, in sharp focus. In the nineties, he began to photograph cityscapes and landscapes in soft focus as a contrast to his portraits. In 1981, Armstrong created a series of black-and-white portraits which he showed at 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 first retrospective. She 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 1995 Whitney Biennial as well as many gallery and museum shows. Armstrong’s work has also appeared in publications such as French Vogue, L’Uomo Vogue, Arena Homme+, GQ, Self Service, Another Man and Japanese Vogue and he has worked on the advertising campaigns for Zegna, Rene Lezard, Kenneth Cole, Burburry, Puma, and Barbara Bui among others. He left behind some great images you can check out here. An eye like his is rare and influential and shall be missed. But not more than the man himself, whom I knew a little, and shared with MANY friends who are mourning the loss –talk about one-of-a-kind…
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