Luke Smalley
Encyclopedia
Luke Smalley was a United States
photographer known for capturing boys in adolescence and as a talented art director famous for creating "playful images that explored the intersections between fashion and masculinity". His work, which pairs a coolly minimalist aesthetic with a retro nostalgia, centers around his tongue-in-cheek take on the journey for truth inside the lives of small town youth, especially athletic, all-American, young men. Many of the photographs are homoerotic, yet sexually ambivalent and never perverse. Images from his earlier collections were inspired by fitness manuals and yearbooks circa 1910. This is not surprising since Smalley graduated with a degree in sports medicine from Pepperdine University
and worked for a number of years as a model and personal trainer. Smalley shot his the artistic portraits in his home state of Pennsylvania. He used real high school athletes as models, who engaged in unusual competitions reinvented by the photographer, who also designed and crafted some of the outfits and equipments.
. He graduated from Rice Avenue Union High School in 1973. Following high school, he attended Hunter College
and Northeastern University, before graduating with a degree in sports medicine from Pepperdine University
. For the next several years, he worked as a model and personal trainer in California
. His true love was photography, and he eventually became an independent Fine art
and commercial photographer.
. His art photography frequently featured the northwestern Pennsylvania town he called home until his death. He had gallery showings on both coasts and had four books of his photography published. After Smalley's sudden death the Smalley Partnership was formed for the purpose of continuing Luke Smalley's photographic legacy. The art gallery ClampArt, in the Chelsea district of New York City, currently represents the efforts of the Smalley Partnership. ClampArt
They also appeared in several progressive men's fashion publications:
, Pennsylvania.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer known for capturing boys in adolescence and as a talented art director famous for creating "playful images that explored the intersections between fashion and masculinity". His work, which pairs a coolly minimalist aesthetic with a retro nostalgia, centers around his tongue-in-cheek take on the journey for truth inside the lives of small town youth, especially athletic, all-American, young men. Many of the photographs are homoerotic, yet sexually ambivalent and never perverse. Images from his earlier collections were inspired by fitness manuals and yearbooks circa 1910. This is not surprising since Smalley graduated with a degree in sports medicine from Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
and worked for a number of years as a model and personal trainer. Smalley shot his the artistic portraits in his home state of Pennsylvania. He used real high school athletes as models, who engaged in unusual competitions reinvented by the photographer, who also designed and crafted some of the outfits and equipments.
Early life
Smalley was born on June 6, 1955 to parents Thomas J. Smalley Sr. and Julia Svatosky Smalley in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He graduated from Rice Avenue Union High School in 1973. Following high school, he attended Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
and Northeastern University, before graduating with a degree in sports medicine from Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
. For the next several years, he worked as a model and personal trainer in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. His true love was photography, and he eventually became an independent Fine art
Fine art photography
Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides a visual account for news events, and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to...
and commercial photographer.
Work
Smalley attained some notoriety outside of leading men's-wear image makers, and his commercial photography has appeared in both mainstream and niche market publications. He frequently collaborated and was friends with British designer Kim JonesKim Jones (designer)
Kim Jones is a British menswear designer who, since graduating from Central St Martins College of Art and Design MA menswear, has developed a cult following for his refined, casual clothing.-Early career:...
. His art photography frequently featured the northwestern Pennsylvania town he called home until his death. He had gallery showings on both coasts and had four books of his photography published. After Smalley's sudden death the Smalley Partnership was formed for the purpose of continuing Luke Smalley's photographic legacy. The art gallery ClampArt, in the Chelsea district of New York City, currently represents the efforts of the Smalley Partnership. ClampArt
Clients
Smalley's photographs were used by:- America Magazine
- American Eagle OutfittersAmerican Eagle OutfittersAmerican Eagle Outfitters is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by Mark and Jerry Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc., a company which also owned and operated Silverman's Menswear...
- The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and T: The New York Times Style Magazine - TokionTokionTokion is a New York-based magazine covering art, fashion, music and film. It publishes separate US, UK, and Japanese editions. Tokion also produces the annual Creativity Now Conference, a weekend-long seminar of panel discussions with speakers from across the creative spectrum.- History :Tokion...
They also appeared in several progressive men's fashion publications:
- Another Man
- Arena Homme +Arena Homme +Arena Homme + is a fashion magazine for men published biannually since 1994. It is published by Bauer and editor-in-chief is the writer Jo-Ann Furniss....
- Dazed & ConfusedDazed & Confused (magazine)Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin...
- Ten MagazinePerfect 10Perfect 10 was a quarterly men's magazine featuring high resolution photographs of topless or nude women who have not had cosmetic surgery in pensive or artistic poses...
- VV (American magazine)V magazine is an American fashion magazine published since 1999. The magazine is printed seasonally and highlights trends in fashion, film music and art. A men's fashion quarterly entitled VMAN started as an offshoot in 2003.-History:...
and VMAN magazines - Vogue Hommes International
Exhibitions
- 2002, Wessel + O’Connor Gallery, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Gymnasium - November 29, 2007–February 2, 2008, Wessel + O’Connor Gallery, BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Exercise at Home - October 25–November 6, 2008, The David Gallery, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Exercise at Home - November 5 - December 19, 2009, ClampArt, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Sunday Drive: A Memorial Exhibition
Death
Smalley died unexpectedly on Sunday, May 17. 2009 at the age of 53. He is survived by two sisters, three brothers, four nieces, and four nephews. He is buried in St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church cemetery in GirardGirard, Pennsylvania
Girard is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,164 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Girard is located at ....
, Pennsylvania.
External links
- Obituary
- Memorial article in The New York Times Style Magazine
- Artist profile and photos at Creative Exchange Agency
- Exercise at Home exhibit at Wessel + O'Connor Fine Art
- Gallery of older photos at Charmants web magazine