David LaChapelle, David LaChapelle American Jesus (Hand Signed by David LaChapelle), 2010

David LaChapelle

David LaChapelle American Jesus (Hand Signed by David LaChapelle), 2010

Offset lithograph poster (hand signed and dated by LaChapelle)

Hand signed with permanent marker by David LaChapelle on the front

36 × 24 inches

Unframed

A gorgeous, atmospheric poster, published on the occasion of Kasmin's 2010 exhibition; a real collectors item when hand signed.

Hand signed with permanent marker by David LaChapelle on the front

A contemporaneous blogger wrote:
Last Tuesday night, Paul Kasmin Gallery hosted the opening for David La Chapelle’s latest body of work “American Jesus.” We’re not sure if it’s the gallery or David’s following, but the space was jam-packed with onlookers gawking at David’s elaborate digitally rendered photos. Fans dressed up as if it was Halloween, mingling away, waiting to catch some time with the star artist, and much like last month’s crazy Mark Ryden opening, the action spilled into the adjacent streets.
The provocative phototography grabbed everyone attention as they entered the space – from the images of the late Michael Jackson depicted as a modern day martyr to Naomi Campbell in the stunning Rape Of Africa. What was really interesting was the display of David’s sketches/photo studies, which illustrated his research and study for the creation of his intense final products.

About David LaChapelle:
David LaChapelle was born in Connecticut in 1963 and attended high school at North Carolina School of The Arts. Originally enrolled as a painter, David began to experiment in the medium of photography developing an analogue technique of hand-painting his own negatives to achieve a sublime spectrum of color before processing his film.
​
At age 17, LaChapelle moved to New York City. Following his first photography show at Gallery 303, he was hired by Andy Warhol to work at Interview Magazine.

Through his mastery of color, unique composition, and imaginative narratives, LaChapelle began to expand the vernacular of photography. His staged tableau, portrait and still life works challenged devices of traditional photography and his work quickly gained international interest. By 1991, The New York Times predicted, “LaChapelle is certain to influence the work of a new generation... in the same way that Mr. Avedon pioneered so much of what is familiar today.”

In the decades since, LaChapelle has become one of the most published photographers throughout the world with an anthology of books including LaChapelle Land (1996), Hotel LaChapelle (1999), Heaven to Hell (2006), Lost & Found, and Good News (2017). Simultaneously, his work has expanded into music video, film and stage projects. His 2005 feature film, Rize was released theatrically in 17 countries. Many of his still and film works have become iconic archetypes of America in the 21st Century.

In The past 30 years, LaChapelle has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums including the National Portrait Gallery of London, Monnaie de Paris, Barbican Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Musee D’Orsay, Groninger Museum, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, and The U.S. National Portrait Gallery.
“Mr. LaChapelle is certain to influence the work of a new generation of photographers in the same way that Mr. Avedon pioneered so much of what is familiar today.
Mr. Avedon said that 'of all the photographers inventing surreal images, it was Mr. LaChapelle who has the potential to be the genre's Magritte.”
-NY Times

"He isn't very impressed by current photography. ‘There's a lot of pornographic pictures taken by the young today,’... He frowned. ‘A lot of the nudity is just gratuitous. But someone who makes me laugh is David LaChapelle. I think he's very bright, very funny, and good.’'
-Helmut Newton

Publisher:
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York in collaboration with Fred Torres Productions and Tony Shafrazi Gallery