Dear Shaded Viewers,
My first encounter with David La Chapelle was 1982 in New York , at that time he was 19 years old and taking photos of anonymous nudes and sculptures that were published in Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. I attended his first one man show. I remember at that time he always had his parents around, not only at the openings but also on the photo shoots. He was also working part time at Studio 54. Decades have passed and like everyone else, I've followed his editorial and commercial work with great pleasure.
Today is the opening of his 25 year retrospective which is his largest exhibition in France and contains 200 works of art. The exhibition was organized and coordinated with Lina Lopez, Director of the expos chez Lin'Art and in coproducition with Fred Torres and Alphaomega Art.Fred Torres has been David's agent and curated his exhibitions for the past 20 years. I left the exhibition in a trance, it's amazing to see the volume and intensity of his work. As I walked outside alone I glanced to the courtyard and David was standing there with a few friends waiting for him. It's been twenty years since I last saw him so I never expected him to have any memory of who I was. To my delight, I received a warm welcome and a nice compliment. I know that I should have approached the subject of a possible collaboration with him and ASVOFF 2 but the fact was that he'd been interviewed to death upstairs and I was convinced that this was not the moment to disturb him with my own agenda. Later….if I get a hold of his e mail…
I love this: His first photograph was of his mother in a bikini with a martini in her hand standing on a balcony in Puerto Rico. So was the birth of his long and very successful career.
Monnaie de Paris
11, quai de Conti 75006
open every day of the week from 10h30 to 19h30 and on Fridays until 22h
If you are in Mexico…Delirium of Reason
Feb 3 – May 17th 2009
Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Justo Sierra 16, Centro Historico, Ciudad de Mexico.
Absolutely take the time to watch the making of his photo shoots and his film.
