About
David LaChapelle was born in Connecticut in 1963 and attended high school at North Carolina School of The Arts. Originally enrolled as a painter, David began to experiment in the medium of photography developing an analogue technique of hand-painting his own negatives to achieve a sublime spectrum of color before processing his film.
At age 17, LaChapelle moved to New York City. Following his first photography show at Gallery 303, he was hired by Andy Warhol to work at Interview Magazine.
Through his mastery of color, unique composition, and imaginative narratives, LaChapelle began to expand the vernacular of photography. His staged tableau, portrait and still life works challenged devices of traditional photography and his work quickly gained international interest. By 1991, The New York Times predicted, “LaChapelle is certain to influence the work of a new generation...in the same way that Mr. Avedon pioneered so much of what is familiar today.”
In the decades since, LaChapelle has become one of the most published photographers throughout the world with an anthology of books including LaChapelle Land (1996), Hotel LaChapelle (1999), Heaven to Hell (2006), Lost & Found, and Good News (2017). Simultaneously, his work has expanded into music video, film and stage projects. His 2005 feature film, Rize was released theatrically in 17 countries. Many of his still and film works have become iconic archetypes of America in the 21st Century.
In The past 30 years, LaChapelle has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums including the National Portrait Gallery of London, Monnaie de Paris, Barbican Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Musee D’Orsay, Groninger Museum, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, and The U.S. National Portrait Gallery.
“Mr. LaChapelle is certain to influence the work of a new generation of photographers in the same way that Mr. Avedon pioneered so much of what is familiar today.
Mr. Avedon said that 'of all the photographers inventing surreal images, it was Mr. LaChapelle who has the potential to be the genre's Magritte.”
-NY Times
"He isn't very impressed by current photography. ‘There's a lot of pornographic pictures taken by the young today,’... He frowned. ‘A lot of the nudity is just gratuitous. But someone who makes me laugh is David LaChapelle. I think he's very bright, very funny, and good.’'
-Helmut Newton
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Bayerische Staatsoper Portrait Gallery, Munich, Germany
Brandhorst Foundation, Munich, Germany
Daimler Art Collection, Stuttgart, Germany
Fondazione Brescia Musei, Brescia, Italy
The Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
La Monnaie de Paris, Paris, France
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, New York, NY
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Foundation, Paris, France
MOCO Museum, Barcelona, Spain
National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
Pérez Art Museum, Miami, Florida
Serge Delsemme Foundation, Belgium
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022
“make BELIEVE” (solo)
Fotografiska, New York
September 9 - January 8, 2023
“I Believe in Miracles” (solo)
Mudec – Museo delle Culture, Milan, Italy
April 22 - September 11, 2022
2021
“David LaChapelle” (solo)
Maschio Angioino, Napoli, Italy
December 8 - March 6, 2021
2020
“David LaChapelle” (solo)
W1 Curates, London, UK
July 13 - July 26, 2020
2019
“Radiance” (solo)
Galerie Des Bains, Geneva, Switzerland
October 11, 2019 - January 25, 2020
“David LaChapelle” (solo)
Mucciaccia Gallery, Gillman Barracks, Singapore
September 14, 2019 - February 2, 2020
“Atti Divini” (solo)
La Venaria Reale, Turin, Italy
June 14, 2019 - January 6, 2020
“Acts of Nature” (solo)
Reflex, Amsterdam, Netherland
June 1 - September 28, 2019
2018
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” (solo)
Staley Wise Gallery, New York City, NY
December 13, 2018 - March 2, 2019
“Letter to The World” (solo)
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, France
November 3 - December 29, 2018
“Songs for the World” (solo)
Stary Browar Art Gallery, Poznan, Poland
September 5 - December 10, 2018
“Recollections of America” (solo)
Galerie Bene Taschen, Cologne, Germany
April 26 - June 7, 2018
“Negative Currency” (solo)
Geuer & Geuer, Dusseldorf, Germany
April 24 - June 20, 2018
“LaChapelle: Good News For Modern Man” (solo)
Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands
April 21 - October 28, 2019
2017
“David LaChapelle: SCAPEs” (solo)
Pearl Lam Galleries, Singapore
December 22, 2017 - February 25, 2018
“Inscape of Beauty” (solo)
Ara Modern Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
November 18, 2016 - May 28, 2017
“New World” (solo)
Maruani Mercier Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
October 11 - November 18, 2017
“David LaChapelle: After the Deluge” (solo)
Beaux Arts Mons, Mons, Belgium
October 27, 2017 - February 25, 2018
“David LaChapelle: SCAPEs” (solo)
Pearl Lam Galleries, Shanghai, China
September 9 - October 31, 2017
“David LaChapelle” (solo)
Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Ballarat, Australia
August 19 - September 17, 2017
“Lost and Found” (solo)
Casa Dei Tre Oci, Venice, Italy
April 12 - September 10, 2017
“Lost and Found” (solo)
Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Mexico
March 30 - July 30, 2017