David Armstrong

Unearthed from the Armstrong archive, this sensuous selection of never-before-seen fashion photography from the artist marks the first publication since his death in 2014

For 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. 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.
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 Armstrong's property in the Berkshires. 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 catalog of Armstrong's tremendous output, they nonetheless demonstrate his dedication to capturing beauty, as elaborated through accompanying commentary by Nicolas Ghesquiere, Lisa Love, Jae Choi, Marie-Amelie Sauve 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.