the art collectors

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Ari Marcopoulos :: A Survey of 30 Years at Berkeley Art Museum

In 1979 Dutch born photographer Ari Marcopoulos migrated to New York City, quickly submerging himself in the downtown art scene. Sill in his twenties, Marcopolous found work printing photographs for Andy Warhol, and then as a studio assistant to photographer Irving Penn. He credits these early experiences with teaching him that anything is worth taking a picture of, as well as the importance of technical skill and a simple approach. These dual virtues are clearly evident throughout the body of work on view in Within Arm’s Reach, Marcopoulos’ first U.S. mid-career museum survey, which opened this week at The Berkeley Art Museum. The exhibition spans three decades of the artist’s photography, including his documentation of 80s street and music culture in New York, emersion into the early 90s skate and and later snowboard scenes, and recent autobiographical depictions of his family, often reflecting back on his own youth through images of his children.

The museum has published an exhibition catalog, designed by Marcopolous and available in their online store. Ari Marcopolous – Within Arm’s Reach in on view till Feb. 7. See below for details.

Read on for our extensive set of photos from the exhibit and visit Interview Magazine for a new interview with the artist.

(All images courtesy of Ari Marcopoulos, Ratio 3, San  Francisco, and The Project, New York.)

Ari Marcopolous – Within Arm’s Reach
Sept. 23 – Feb. 7, 2010
Berkeley Art Museum
2626 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94720
info: (510) 642-0808
http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/store/marcopoulos_book