Articles

Tras la espléndida primera exposición de la nueva galería, con aquel testimonio lleno de realismo que patrocinaba la fotografía de Bruno Barbey, Juan Carlos de Lamadrid nos sigue convenciendo expositivamente con otra muestra, esta vez de tema flamenco.

Dos muestras fotográficas en las que se nos ofrecen dos versiones distintas de una realidad artística que provoca los más espectaculares desenlaces plásticos. Dos muy importantes fotógrafos, mucho más de lo que la gente -incluida las que de esto dicen saber- pueda imaginar... » Read More

Dear Shaded Viewers and Diane,

It was a real joy and honor for me to have the opportunity of this inspiring digital conversation with Mr. Gilles Larrain. His just republished iconic book Idols was being celebrated with a very successful exhibition at Steven Kasher gallery in Chelsea only a few months ago, and through the fascinating medium of his wife Louda, Mr. Larrain told me about New York and the 70s, his charming birds of paradise, the intimate world of painting and his own childhood and how to seductively capture souls on kodachrome films.» Read More

A series of photographs by Gilles Larrain are on display at The Steven Kasher Gallery in Chelsea. The exhibition titled Gilles Larrain: Idols includes 35 of Larrain’s large-scale photographs that are being exhibited to the public for the first time. Larrain’s photographed musicians, actors, and other figures who had an impact on New York City... » Read More

Steven Kasher Gallery is pleased to present Gilles Larrain: Idols featuring 35 never before exhibited large-scale photographs of New York’s most wildly colorful, often scandalous denizens of style that he shot during the revolutionary early 1970s. Larrain’s now legendary SoHo studio became a haven for the glamorous misfits who were exploring their sexual identity and re-creating the city’s night life. » Read More

"I never wanted to be a drag queen, because I was a very pretty boy, but I was never a pretty girl. It was more about androgyny. Alexis had all these beautiful costumes in his apartment. I remember that the dog kept trying to eat my turban. I walked around this way all the time. I had a full-time job in a hospital, and it was a real struggle to live this way. People were very threatened by it. And people also copied us all the time. David Bowie used to be my neighbor at the Chelsea Hotel, and he never took his eyes off me. I was like, What’s her problem? He was very observant. I had shaved my eyebrows — that was my look. And suddenly he had no eyebrows."» Read More

This week’s What They Were Thinking column features a photo from “Idols,” the 1973 cult-classic photo book by Gilles Larrain that chronicled the gender-bending New York arts scene in the early ’70s. Long out of print, “Idols” is being reissued next month by powerHouse Books. The reissue has even more photos than the original, and includes more popular musicians, like Nina Hagen and members of the New York Dolls. Everyone looks great.» Read More

On “The Marc and Myra Show,” on SiriusXM radio, the writer Bob Colacello recalled visiting Studio 54 in the 1970s when Yves Saint Laurent strolled into the room. Halston, on glimpsing his idol, sprang from his chair to embrace him. Taking in the scene, Truman Capote was heard to tell a companion: “You have just witnessed one of the great moments in the history of fashion. That is, if you care about the history of fashion.”» Read More

Bibliothèque nationale Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou Paris, Maison européenne de la photographie Paris, Caisse des dépôts et consignations Paris, Centre de la photographie Genève, Michèle & Michel Auer Hermance, Modern Art Museum Munich, Palais des beaux-arts Bruxelles, American Ballet Theater New York, Guggenheim Museum New York, New York City Ballet New York, Union League Club New York... » Read More

Este fotógrafo de padre chileno es para muchos una leyenda de la fotografía. Su taller de Manhattan fue escenario de sesiones de retrato para Dalí, Miles Davis y Baryshnikov, y hoy es el lugar donde cada mes organiza un “Salón” de arte en vivo, en el cual da rienda suelta a su otra pasión: la guitarra flamenca. Quizás sea la hora de que, tras seis décadas de separación, el artista y Chile se vuelvan a encontrar. » Read More

This documentary series follows Gilles as he captures outstanding moments of singing, dancing and guitar playing. His photo sessions awaken the flamenco spirit, or duende, of an art form whose roots, like the olive tree behind dancer Mario Maya, run deep in the South of Spain. “In Search of Duende follows Gilles to different cities and towns in Andalusia, the birthplace of flamenco as he discovers a new generation of artists. » Read More

Esta serie documental sigue los pasos de Larraín mientras retrata momentos de genialidad en sesiones fotográficas que a la vez son juergas de música, canto, toque y baile, y exponen el espíritu de un arte cuyas raíces –como el olivo frente al cual nos confronta Mario Maya- están profundamente arraigadas en el Sur de España. » Read More

Finally, I found an artist who would paint a nude model on the back of another nude model. Another check off the wish list for this young fellow. This was just a tease of what Gilles and Louda Larrain had to offer at their 13th Art Salon Party. The Art Salon Party is an exciting exhibition of various arts that takes place on the last Thursday of every month (not including November and December for the holidays.) January’s last Thursday was no exception, as it became the first of the new decade.» Read More

Art Salon: Where creativity is cause for celebration. That’s not the official tagline of the Salonistas, but it may as well be. As anyone who’s been paying attention already knows, Art Salon is the monthly fête where featured artists Gilles Larrain, Louda, and Thomas Shelford invite us all to observe their artistry – or even take part – while mingling with the new creative class of NYC. Not bad for a Thursday night. » Read More

IT was Friday night, and the face paint was optional, but few people abstained. Why? Because here was a woman in pasties and a giant pink beehive talking to a guy in a unitard with a balloon for a head, who called himself the Eye of Disorient. There was a woman in a nude body stocking, with artfully applied glitter, go-go dancing on a platform. A daughter of a Factory star was nearby, alongside some art school kids, television writers and other nightlife denizens. And everywhere there were tchotchkes and doodads, glowing in the black light. » Read More

En busca del duende atestigua la magia que el legendario fotógrafo neoyorquino Gilles Larraín ha captado- y sigue captando- con su lente al asomarse entre bastidores para documentar la vida y el arte de los mejores flamencos del mundo.
Esta serie documental sigue los pasos de Larraín mientras retrata momentos de genialidad en sesiones fotográficas que a la vez son juergas de música, canto, toque y baile, y exponen el espíritu de un arte cuyas raíces –como el olivo frente al cual nos confronta Mario Maya- están profundamente arraigadas en el Sur de España. » Read More

Stepping into the basement of photographer Gilles Larrain’s SOHO studio in New York City is a bit like dipping down into a gypsy cave in Spain. Old copper pots hang in the kitchen above a long rustic table that serves as a gathering place for spontaneous parties of wine, cheese, and Larrain’s own flamenco guitar playing. On the other end is an even more intimate space for Larrain—his well-lit photo set. From Miles Davis and John Lennon to Glenn Close and Salvador Dalí, Larrain has captured the essence of hundreds of celebrities in three-decade career, but flamencos are the artists he most loves to photograph. » Read More

Tres razones rigen la vida de Gilles Larraín: la curiosidad, la pasión y el amor. Son los mismos impulsos que laten en el corazón del flamenco, un mundo que el fotógrafo aprendió a amar hace varias décadas para descubrir otra identidad, y de paso abrazar la certeza de que nadie es ajeno a una cultura que no es la suya cuando la vive en carne propia.» Read More