A photo of Michale Jackson standing on the devil, a photo of Hawaiian landscapes and the last photo of Andy Warhol ever taken are just some of the photographs captured by David LaChapelle. These photographs, among others, are currently featured in LaChapelle’s “All of a Sudden” exhibit at the University of Connecticut’s William Benton Museum of Art.
LaChapelle, originally from Simsbury and Farmington, Connecticut, is one of the most frequently published photographers, best known for his large-scale, hyper-clear photographs of celebrities, according to the Benton Museum website. His work often combines contemporary photography with art history.
The exhibit, which opened on Sept. 5, runs throughout the academic semester and closes on Dec. 15, according to the website. Of the 40 photographs on display, LaChapelle’s commercial and abstract works are included.
Amanda Douberley, the curator and academic liaison of the Benton, expressed that many of LaChapelle’s images displayed “represent completely fabricated environments” which tend to include his personal work. The photographs on display that feature celebrities tend to feature his work on commission for album covers, magazine covers and editorials.
Talks of bringing his work to the Benton started when Nancy Stula, executive director of the Benton, reached out to LaChapelle two years ago.
“I had worked with [LaChapelle] on an exhibition before where I was director and curator of the Lyman Allen in London,” said Stula. “I sort of lost touch with David, and then two years ago, I got a Christmas card from him. So, I contacted him, and we started talking. I told him that I was working here at UConn, and he was really excited about doing a show here, mainly because he’s from Connecticut.”
When organizing the gallery, Stula stated that she and LaChapelle worked together with his assistants to create the exhibit.
“It was interesting because we had David and one of his assistants on the phone with us, and then two of his assistants were here on site and making sure that everything was hung in locations and in combinations, and basically curated, sort of everyone on the spot, which was really fun,” said Stula.
Stula expressed she found this gallery different from others she has worked on at the Benton due to the bright colors in LaChapelle’s work and curation. She found that the color transformed the space of the museum.
“He was looking at the space when we had him on FaceTime, and he decided certain colors for certain walls, and I have to say, it’s really transformed the space. …It looks completely different from how it normally does,” said Stula.
The exhibit includes a few different areas that separate LaChapelle’s work.
Stula explained that the photos on the upstairs balcony are made to look vintage, photographs one would find in an old photo album. From far away, gallery visitors believed they were old photographs until they got closer, realizing that some featured Chris Rock and Lana Del Ray, according to Stula.
The style downstairs displays LaChapelle’s more colorful work, according to Stula.
“He uses really saturated colors. Everything is hyper focused, hyperreal and very crowded,” said Stula.
Images in the exhibit include photos of Michale Jackson, Miley Cyrus, Tupac and abstract images of models LaChapelle creates.
“We have a picture called seismic shift, and it’s about what a museum might look like after an earthquake,” said Stula, describing one of the photos. “…He literally took a room in a museum and recreated it. It’s the Broad Museum just in downtown Los Angeles… Outside the museum, there is an art installation made up of all these light poles. Here he shows them after the earthquake, coming in like filled with mud.”
Overall, Stula is very excited to have LaChapelle’s exhibit at UConn. She hopes that his work displayed at UConn will inspire students to visit the museum more often.
“One of my biggest hopes is that students will start to realize that this is their museum. I hope they come more frequently and feel comfortable here,” said Stula.
Stula added that students can learn more about the exhibit on the Benton Museum Instagram page. The Benton is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is open Saturday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.