Photographer Stanley Stellar Captures New York Men on the Streets

NEW YORK - For thirty-five years, Stanley Stellar has been photographing and recording NYC men as they live, and die, and live. Beginning in the '70s as a documentarian of gay life on the sexually fraught piers in New York City, his images have morphed into his extraordinary kind of art photography that we see today.

The exhibition, Stanley Stellar: A Photographer, curated by Peter Weiermair, runs from May 18 to July 2, 2011 at the Leslie/Lohman Gallery, 26 Wooster Street, New York, NY. Opening reception and release party for his newest book, The Beauty of All Men, will be held on May 17th from 6 to 8 pm at the Leslie/Lohman Gallery.

Stanley Stellar: A Photographer begins by exhibiting pictures taken by Stellar with his first Nikon camera bought in 1976. He is considered one of "the" photographers of the early period of gay liberation. His photographs from that time have become icons of that history. This solo exhibition showcases and highlights Stellar's career from these earliest photographs to his most recent works in digital imagery.

On the streets of New York, he discovered he had a peculiar gift for approaching men-and not just gay men-and getting them to take their pants off for a picture. Stanley's interest in tattoos affords him with one of his easiest approaches to men who eventually pose nude for him because, of course, tattooed men, regardless of their sexuality, want to be looked at.

One of the photographer's most iconic street photos was the result of an encounter on the sidewalk with a young Latino with tattooed arms. Stanley asked for and received permission to photograph the decorated arms. After he thanked the youth and started to walk away, the boy yelled, "Hey! I got birds too!" He lifted his shirt to reveal an achingly beautiful young torso with a bright bird swooping on each pectoral. "I got birds too" remains an iconic image of the emerging gay eroto-aesthetic of the '70s. This image was one of the first to be mass-produced on postcards.

To Stanley, the only thing that matters is the beauty of the man--and not in any conventional sense. You somehow get to know who, not just what you are looking at. One rarely finds a "super-model" look in Stanley's work. A Stellar image draws you beyond the physical beauty of the men photographed; you are drawn into the soul of the man.

When asked about his approach to his work, Stanley explains, "It is a society of physical, naked men, a wholly unacknowledged counter world of men: straight, bi- and gay usually never seen. All men share their nakedness with each other; yet are never allowed to see each other naked."

Stellar's most recent publication, "The Beauty of All Men," All Saints Press, will be released with the opening of this exhibition. This book and this exhibition have been curated by Peter Weiermair, international curator, author and publisher of art books, including Treasure of Gay Art from the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation.

Weiermair is a past director of museums and art institutions in his native Austria, as well as Germany and Italy and has curated important exhibitions in Asia and New York City. Of his many books and monographs The Hidden Image (MIT Press, Cambridge-London, 1988) is considered the most authoritative work on the male nude ever published.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Stellar was educated at the Parsons School of Design where he focused on graphic design and photography. His professional career includes innumerable book designs, editorial design and art direction for numerous magazines and publishing houses. His work has shown in many galleries throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has been discussed in over a dozen anthologies and his photography has been on the covers of 26 international magazines. Other Stellar publications include Stellar Men, and Iconic. His photography has been featured in all major gay publications throughout the United States and Europe, including the cover of Provocateur.

For the past 20 years, the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation's mission has been to preserve, exhibit and foster the creation of art that is created by LGBTQ artists or which resonates of queer experience. As we look to the future, our plan is to continue this mission and expand our programs and outreach to the community with the establishment of the Leslie/Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art. There is no other organization in the world like us.

The Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation (LLGAF), established in 1990 as a non-profit organization, has a permanent collection of more that 4,000 objects spanning more than three centuries of queer art, a research library, and publishes The ARCHIVE, a quarterly journal focusing on LGBTQ art and artists. LLGAF is the premier resource for anyone interested in the rich legacy of the LGBTQ community and its influence on and confrontation with the mainstream art world.

LINKS: Leslie/Lohman Gallery
Stanley Stellar

DETAILS:
Leslie/Lohman Gallery
26 Wooster
New York, NY 10013
212.431.2609
www.leslielohman.org

Stanley Stellar: A Photographer
Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 17th, 6pm - 8pm
Exhibition Dates: May 18th - July 2nd, 2011
Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat., Noon-6pm