stephen romano gallery

THE NEW YORK CITY BOOK & EPHEMERA FAIR CELEBRATES WILLIAM MORTENSEN'S GOLDEN HOLLYWOOD YEARS IN A SPECIAL EXHIBITION TITLED: “WILLIAM MORTENSEN: CELLULOID BABYLON” The exhibition will feature over 60 photographs by the artist, many seen for the first time. curated by Brian Chidester, works courtesy of Stephen Romano Gallery. March 9 & 10, 2019, Sheraton Central Park / Times Square 811 7th Avenue New York The New York City Book & Ephemera Fair will mount a special exhibition of the artist’s work when it returns to the Sheraton Central Park/Times Square hotel on March 9 & 10. Curated by author/art historian Brian Chidester, courtesy of the Stephen Romano Gallery, “Celluloid Babylon” draws from the artist’s Hollywood years in the 1920s and '30s. still from the 1927 Cecil B DeMille film "King of Kings". Jacqueline Logan as Mary Magdalene William Mortensen's work was startling and new. It had the power to surprise, shock, even haunt the viewer. William Mortensen was a highly controversial artist during his lifetime, stirring up the photographic world in the early twentieth century with images that were in direct opposition to the prevailing realism of his contemporaries. Today we recognize Mortensen as the trailblazer he was —the first to use highly manipulated imagery in a way that wasn’t embraced until Photoshop almost a century later. William Mortensen "The Old Hag" includes a figure with a mask made for the 1928 Tod Browning film "West of Zanzibar" circa 1928 Today, Mortensen’s altered images feel right at home in a world saturated by fantasy figures and layered images in movies, television, graphic novels, and video games. His work finds affinity with all forms of storytelling, however, be fantastic, horrific, or mystical, for he was, above all else, an artist with a keen talent for tapping into the most euphoric and sexual aspects of human life. FURTHER INFORMATION AND VISUALS AVAILABLE HERE Fair hours are: Saturday, March 9, 2019, 8AM – 4PM Sunday, March 10, 2019, 9AM – 3PM Where: Sheraton Central Park / Times Square 811 7th Avenue New York, NY, 10019 Admission: $15 each day, With student ID – Free Pre-purchase a weekend pass and save $5, or register for a complimentary pass for Sunday, March 10

stephen romano gallery

“William Mortensen: Celluloid Babylon” Exhibit at The NYC Book & Ephemera Fair

“NOCTEM DIABOLI” Stephen Romano Gallery’s ALL HALLOWS EVE Special