Author: Armstrong, DavidFor photographer David Armstrong, the production of a fashion set – the stylists, hair and makeup, the outfits – offered the framework he needed to make his fantasy of decadent queer beauty a reality. The 107 pictures in this book are drawn from 18 boxes marked “Fashion” now located in Armstrong’s Brooklyn archive. At the time of his death these photographs and negatives had been stored in a barn on his property in the Berkshires, with many outtakes which have never been published. While other components of his oeuvre feel akin to Peter Hujar, Bill Jacobson or Nan Goldin, these editorial photographs could have only been shot by Armstrong. Ahead of their time, they offer a new, queer and androgynous perspective – on the fawning lens of historical precedents such as Baron de Meyer – and shine with Armstrong’s undying love of beauty.This curated selection comprises darkroom and inkjet prints, many of them outtakes which have never been published, for campaigns commissioned by fashion magazines and brands between 2002 and 2010. While by no means an exhaustive catalogue of Armstrong’s tremendous output, they nonetheless demonstrate his dedication to capturing beauty, as elaborated through accompanying commentary by Nicolas Ghesquière, Lisa Love, Jae Choi, Marie-Amélie Sauvé and Ethan James Green.David Armstrong (1954–2014) was born in Massachusetts and studied photography at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston alongside Nan Goldin, who was his roommate. He photographed campaigns for Zegna, Burberry and Puma, and his editorial work was included in magazines such as Vogue Paris, Wonderland, GQ and Purple.ISBN 9798986546551. MATTE Editions. hb. 198 pages. 25 colour, 82 b/w ills. 33 x 24.8 cm.not yet published
