The Artist Project

A photographic documentary of artists living and working in New York during the 1980s. There are over 200 portraits that reveal both the nature of the individual artists and their vibrant society. Following in the tradition of August Sander, Robert Frank, and Garry Winogrand, photographer Peter Bellamy has created a candid, moving record of a compelling cultural community. New York City was the centre of a booming international art world during the 1980s. This was the decade when prices for contemporary art broke records, and an unprecedented number of young artists enjoyed overnight fame, while others gained and lost reputations with dizzying speed, and many worked with quiet persistence and inspiration. These photographs, accompanied by descriptions of the artists and their work, capture the dynamic atmosphere of this turbulent era. Bellamy has included the young stars of the decade, such as Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo, and Jenny Holzer along with the already famous Andy Warhol and John Cage, as well as many lesser-nown artists.
"The Artist Project" is at once an encyclopaedic documentary of some of the most fascinating people of our time, and a poetic homage to the power of photographs to bring to life the creative spirit of an age. Peter Bellamy is a photographyer living in New York whose work has appeared in numerous publications including "The New York Times", "Artforum Magazine" and "Arts Magazine". Neil Printz is an art historian and the author of "Andy Warhol: Death and Disasters".