Greg Gorman. Beyond the portrait

From 6th June to 1st September 2018, 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery in Milan will host the exhibition BEYOND THE PORTRAIT, the first solo show with an Italian gallery from this master of the modern portrait. 
 
The opening of the exhibition coincides with Milan Photo Week during which Milan celebrates photography with exhibitions, events, openings and urban projections throughout the city.
 
The exhibition combines unconventional celebrity portraits with classical nudes, photographs which reveal their purist essence through a use of stark lighting, stripped back interiors and black and white colour palette. Stripping away affectation and artifice and inviting the subject to express themselves fully. 
 
Greg Gorman, one of the most highly acclaimed photographers on the international stage, presents at 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery his unique photographs, stylistically unmistakable for their isolation of the subject from their external surroundings and backdrop. Each image is a careful study, starting from the subject’s body language tothe articulation of the muscular form,from the shade to the angle of the shot, from the positioning of the lights to the creation of shadows. Indeed shadows play a pivotal role in his portraits because they represent the area of space that lies out of reach of the spectator, stimulating within him or her the curiosity and desire to discover more.
 
His are photographic works of great importance that represent the dominant characteristics of his entire work. He, in fact, manages to create a complicity with the subject depicted, establishing a relationship of mutual trust that, especially in the case of Hollywood celebrities, exposes the actor, frees him from the cage of the character,from the duty of embodying another character. The subject is quite simply himself and, in this way, humanized.
 
Gorman enriches his gamut of faces with many studies of the human figure, and thus, with a variety of body language. From Leonardo di Caprio in the beginning of the nineties, to Alex Pettyfer, photographed in 2008, these series of images are testament to Gorman’s tireless search for eternal youth. 

Greg Gorman 
Born in 1949 in Kansas City, Missouri, Greg attended the University of Kansas from 1967-69 with a major in photojournalism. He completed his studies at the University of Southern California, graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in cinematography in 1972. For over four decades, Greg Gorman has continued to master the art of photography. From celebrity portraits and advertising campaigns to magazine layouts and fine art work, Greg has developed and showcased a discriminating and unique style in his profession. Greg’s work documents that peculiar obsession of the 21st century celebrity. His photography is timeless and not confined to has-beens, hot properties, and wannabes. Each shot gives a picture of human nature in its infinite range. Each picture is also a testament to the individual character. “For me photographs is most successful when it doesn’t answer all the questions,”says Gorman, “but leaves something to the imagination.”In 1985, through the advice of illustrator Antonio Lopez, Gorman realized that he needed a creative outlet in addition to the commercial work that launched his career. He then began to expand his personal work exploring the human form and became a notable photographer for not only his celebrity portraiture but also his figure studies of the male and female nude. Over the past 30 years, Greg Gorman’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the world, including a recent vernissage at the Helmut Newton Museum in Berlin. When not shooting famous faces, Greg travels for specialized photographic projects and is one of the most sought after speakers in the photographic community. As well, Greg shares his expertise in hands-on photography workshops worldwide, most notably his personal workshops at his studio in Northern California. Greg Gorman has been recognized for his contribution to the world of photography with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Photographer’s of America, the Achievement in Portraiture Award from The Lucie Foundation and the Pacific Design Center Stars of Design award. Greg gas also been acknowledged for his charitable works for The Elton John Aids Foundation, Aids Healthcare Foundation, Focus on Aids, The Oscar De La Hoya Foundation, Vox/Out Voices of Style + Design, PETA, Angel Art, and Paws L.A. Greg’s latest career venture has been in the world of winemaking. He currently divides his time between Los Angeles and Mendocino, California.

Opening Tuesday 5th June, 7 PM

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