Bill Armstrong (b-1952) is a New York based fine art photographer who is known for his blurred color photographs.He grew up in Concord, Massachusetts.
One-Person Shows:
2008 «Renaissance,» ClampArt, New York City
2007 «Spirit: From Darkness to Light,» De Santos Gallery, Houston Texas
«Apparition,» Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2006 «Blue Sphere,» Robischon Gallery, Denver, Colorado
«Apparition,» Parkerson Gallery, Houston, Texas
«Photographs from the Infinity Series,» Scott White Contemporary Art, San Diego, California
2005 «Apparition,» ClampArt, New York City
«Spirit,» Gallery Kayafas, Boston
2004 «Spirit,» ClampArt, New York City
2003 «Recent Photographs,» Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, New York
«Mandala,» Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, Massachusetts
«Mandala,» Joel Soroka Gallery, Aspen, Colorado
2001 «Photographs from the Infinity Series,» An American Space Gallery, New York City
2000 «Recent Photographs,» McCann-Erikson Gallery, New York City
1999 «Recent Photographs,» Roy Park School of Communications, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York
1997 «Accidental Portraits,» International Center of Photography Education Gallery, New York City
«Recent Photographs,» Uma Gallery, New York City
1994 Z. Affiches, Ltd., New York City
1988 Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
1985 The Field Gallery, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
1983 Concord Performing Arts Center, Concord, Massachusetts
1982 Concord Public Library, Concord, Massachusetts
1980 Roger Harvey Fine Art, Boston, Massachusetts
Selected Group Shows:
2008 «Faculty Exhibition,» School of Visual Arts, New York City
2007 «Faculty Exhibition: About This,» International Center for Photography, New York City
«Renaissance,» Robischon Gallery, Denver, Colorado
«Faccia a Faccia, Il nuovo ritratto contemporaneo,» Forma Centro Internazionale di Fotografia, Milan Italy
«Oog-Eye: Photographs from Collection Dancing Bear,» Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2006 «2006 Year in Review,» Scott White Contemporary Art, San Diego, California
«ICP Faculty Exhibition,» School of the International Center of Photography, New York City (Curated by Bernard Yenelouis)
«Figure in the Landscape,» Houston Community College Central Fine ArtvGallery, Houston, Texas (Curated by Jean Caslin)
«On the Edge,» Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado (curated by Stephen Perloff)
«No eyes: the Dancing Bear Collection of W. M. Hunt,» Musee De l'Elysee, Lausanne
2005 «Photo National,» Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, Pennsylvalia
«Sans regardes, or no eyes: Looking at the collection, Dancing Bear,» Recontres D'Arles, Arles, France (Curated by W. M. Hunt)
Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, Massachusetts
«Luminous Forms: Abstractions in Color Photography,» DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts (Curated by Rachel Lafo)
2004 «78th Annual Competition,» The Print Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
«Postcards From the Edge,» Visual AIDS at Brent Sikkema, New York City
«PhotoNY,» ClampArt booth, Metropolitan Pavilion, New York City
«I Want To Take You Higher,» McKenzie Fine Art, New York City (Curated by Valerie McKenzie)
«About Face,» Hayward Gallery, London (Curated by William Ewing)
«Colorscapes,» Cooper Classics Collection (In association with Jennifer Gyr Fine Art), New York City (Curated by Jennifer Gyr)
«Actualities: Fresh Work IV,» Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, Florida (Curated by Kevin Miller)
«Je t'envisage: La disparition du portrait (I Look at You: The Disappearance of the Portrait),» Musée de l'Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland (Curated by William
Ewing)
«Concerning the Spiritual in Photography,» Photographic Resource Center at Boston University, Boston (Curated by Leslie Brown)
Scott White Contemporary Art, San Diego, California
«Grand Opening Exhibition,» Scott White Contemporary Art, Telluride, Colorado
2003 Culturgest, Lisbon, Portugal (Curated by William Ewing)
«Photography 2003,» Woodstock Center for Photography,
Woodstock, New York (Curated by Therese Mulligan)
«Fear of Flying,» Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, New York
«Photographs by Seven Contemporary Artists,» Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York
«Group Show,» Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, New York
2002 «The House of Light,» International Center of Photography, New York
City (Curated by Bernard Yenelouis)
«Gallery Artists Exhibition,» American Space Gallery, New York City
«New Art '02,» Kingston Gallery, Boston Massachusetts (Curated by Lelia Amalfitano)
Houston Center for Photography, Houston, Texas (Curated by Anne Tucker)
«Faculty Exhibition,» International Center of Photography, New York City
2001 «Here is New York,» New York City
«Contemporary Photography for the New Millenium,» Fulton Street Gallery, Troy, New York (Curated by Anthony Montoya)
«Deceipt of the Intellect,» Benham Studio Gallery, Seattle, Washington
2000 «Material Revelations: Variations on Collage,» Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, Massachusetts
«Mostra de Portfolios 2000,» Casa da Fotografia Fuji, Sao Paulo, Brazil
«Gallery Artists Show,» Joel Soroka Gallery, Aspen, Colorado
Selected collections:
Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City
Centro Internazionale di Fotographia, Milan, Italy
DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Musée de l'Elysee , Lausanne, Switzerland
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
Museum of the City of New York, New York City
Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California
Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California
Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, Florida
W. M. Hunt/Dancing Bear, New York City
Woodstock Center for Photography, Woodstock, New York
Selected publications:
Bill Armstrong, «An Accidental Photographer,» Camera Arts (January)
W.M. Hunt, «A Shadow in the Sun,» Renaissance (ClampArt, 2008)
Jerome Groopman, «Silent Minds (Illus.),» The New Yorker (October 15, 2007)
Mary Voelz Chandler, «Neri's Figures Impress,» Rocky Mountain News (May 18, 2007)
Michael Paglia, «Cold Pastoral,» Westword (May 31, 2007)
William A. Ewing, Face: The New Photographic Portrait (Thames and Hudson, London, 2006)
Claire Stacey Shabsis, «Apparition,» Eyemazing (April 2006)
A.D. Coleman, «Going to the Many» AG (April 2006)
A.D. Coleman, «Going to the Many» Lemon (February 2006)
Lewis H. Laphman, «Findings,» Harper's (January 2006), p. 96, color illus.
David Schimke, «Calm in the Chaos,» Utne Reader (January/February 2006), pp. 47, 51
A.D. Coleman, «Going to the Many: Bill Armstrong's ‘Apparitions'» (ClampArt, 2005)
Bill Armstrong, «Color Harmony in Photography,» Photo Techniques (November/December 2005), pp. 24-7
B. Allan Wallace, «What is True Happiness,» Tricycle (Fall 2005), pp. 71, 77, 84, color illus.
«Photography Listings,» New York Magazine (October 24, 2005), p. 120
«Update September,» Interior Design, August 2005, p. 32
Caroline Cunningham, «American Scene: Photography,» House & Garden, March 2005, p. 93, color illus.
Cate McQuaid, «Bypassing reason for feeling: Soft-focus photos return,» The Boston Globe (January 14, 2005), p. E22
Christopher Millis, «Photographs by Bill Armstrong,» The Boston Phoenix (January 7, 2005), p. 23
Charles Giuliano, Maverick Arts Magazine (January 10, 2005), No. 165
Christine Temin, «These photographs don't shoot for reality,» The Boston Globe (December 5, 2004)
Robert Hirsch, Exploring Color Photography (MacMillan, 2004), p. 263
Dr. James Murphy, «Fresh Work IV 2004: Actualities—New Photographic Art Engaging the Themes of Representation, Reality and Illusion» (Southeast Museum of Photography, 2004)
William Ewing, About Face (Hayward Gallery, 2004), p. 51
Neil Kendricks, «Nerve Cell,» San Diego Union Tribune (April 29, 2004)
Leslie Brown, «Concerning the Spiritual in Photography,» In the Loupe (January-February 2004), pp. 4-8
Stephen Perloff, The Photo Review (2003), p. 43
Eric Ernst, "Reverence for Body and Spirit," The Southampton Press (August 7, 2003), p. B13
Joan Baum, "In the Gallery," Southampton Independent (August 13, 2003), p. B9
Mairi Beautyman, «Update,» Interior Design (July 2003), p. 40
Chronogram (June 2003), Cover illus.
David Brickman, "Focus on Diversity," Metroland (May 8-14, 2003), p. 35
Alice George, Here is New York: A Democracy of Photographs (Scalo, 2002), p. 397
Ben Widdecomb, "Private Eye: In collector John Bennett's world, image is everything," Art &
Auction (November 2002), p. 94-107
Cate McQuaid, «Gallery Review,» The Boston Globe (July 12, 2002), p. 17
Rose Marie Nakamura, "L'homme qui murmure a l'oreille de l'infini," Art Actuel (May-June 2001), pp. 68-71
Helena Tovar, "Viaje al Infinito," Foto Reflex, Ano 6, No. 27, pp. 25-32
Vince Aletti, «Photo Choices,» The Village Voice (February 20, 2001)
Meghan Bragdon, "Material Revelations: Variations on Collage," (The Fuller Museum of Art, 2000)
Anton Perich, Night Magazine (July 1997)
Vince Aletti, «Photo Choices,» The Village Voice (June 17, 1997)
Honors, awards, and prizes:
Honorable Mention, Fine Art, International Photography Awards, 2004
Purchase Prize, Woodstock Center for Photography, Woodstock, New York, 2003
Best in Show, "New Art '02", Kingston Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, July 2002 (Juried by Lelia Amalfitano)
Teaching Positions:
2001 - Present Photography Instructor, Faculty, International Center for Photography, New York City
2003 - 2004 Adjunct Professor of Photography, School of Visual Arts, New York City
Education:
1987 M.B.A. Boston University, 1987
1979 Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, History of Art, Boston University,
Boston, Massachusetts
Every work is commented by a text especially written by each artist on the occasion of Paris Photo 2009
(with the exception of Mario Giacomelli); the text – when possible handwritten – will be given together with the actual work to the buyer.
Each photograph is the result of a vision. The author has imagined it, maybe dreamt of it, and then has retraced it in the reality to reproduce it with photography. Or perhaps, the author has staged it, following an impulse, a memory, a dream.
The images in this selection are examples of many possible “photographic dreams”, the results of projects created by different authors, young or not, famous and well established or moving their first steps in the international art scene.
To each of them we have asked to choose and comment their preferred visions...
HackelBury Fine Art has brought together practitioners from around the globe who, despite their differing origins and schooling, all explore that fascinating place, or state of mind, that is sometimes just beyond our fingertips’ grasp, at other times so distant as to be barely imaginable. These artists are progressive thinkers, delving into a realm with which philosophers, priests, and quantum physicists alike have grappled for centuries and attempted to explain or rationalise. Viewers who connect with the works in this exhibition will experience an uplifting and enlightening encounter. It is a feeling that transcends the written word, yet here I attempt to illuminate the attributes that make these artists so intriguing.
The desire to capture an ethereal, transcendent world, and to fix it on paper, has occupied ...
While the mandala is an artistic form rarely associated with photography, a new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Photo Mandalas: Bill Armstrong and Milan Fano Blatny, will present more than thirty-five works by Armstrong (American, born 1952) and Blatny (Czech, born 1972), two contemporary photographers who have been inspired by this ancient symbol. The artists draw on the mandala concept in producing these images, although they have interpreted it liberally. While their technical approaches to representing the mandala are quite different, both Armstrong and Blatny employ the potent and universal symbol of forms emanating from a central core to inspire contemplation and wonder.
&nbs...
ClampArt is pleased to announce “Renaissance,” Bill Armstrong’s third exhibition at the gallery. “Renaissance” is a series of new work from the artist’s “Infinity” series—an ongoing project that he has been working on for more than ten years.
Armstrong creates his imagery using a unique process of photographing found images extremely out of focus with his lens set on the infinity setting. In this case, the source materials are master drawings from the Renaissance period which have been radically re-worked and presented on vast fields of vivid color. Armstrong’s photographs imbue new life and a new context to the original drawings—a renaissance of the Renaissance, if you will.
“Renaissance” presents a frieze-like panoply...