James Crump

James Crump at the Tribeca Film Festival where his documentary Black White + Gray premiered.

James Crump is a director and filmmaker and art historian. He wrote, produced and directed the documentary films, Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe (2007) and Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art (2015).

Career History

From 2008 to 2013, Crump worked at the Cincinnati Art Museum where he was Chief Curator responsible for the organization of several exhibitions. He has collaborated with a host of museums and galleries, including Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, International Center of Photography, the Grey Art Gallery of NYU and The Drawing Center in New York, Princeton University Art Museum, Huis Marseille, Amsterdam, and Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne, Germany. He has organized exhibitions or published books with such artists as James Welling, Doug and Mike Starn, Doug Aitken, Richard Misrach, Nan Goldin, Ross Bleckner, Lynn Davis, and the estates of Berenice Abbott, Robert Mapplethorpe, Carlo Mollino, Willem de Kooning, Garry Winogrand,^[1] and Walker Evans.

Before completing his Ph.D. in history of art, he was Associate Curator of Photography at the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, where he oversaw a collection of over 50,000 photographic prints and organized the exhibition George Platt Lynes: Photographs from the Kinsey Institute.^[2][3] From 1996 to 2003, Crump was founding director and CEO of Arena Editions, a publisher of illustrated books.^[4][5][6][7] Crump's work has most recently been published in Aperture, Archives of American Art Journal for the Smithsonian Museum, Art Review, Art in America, Print, and History of Photography.

Films

Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe

Crump directed the feature-length documentary film Black White + Gray, which premiered in North America at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and in Europe at Art Basel.^{[8][9][10][11][12]} It explores the influence curator Sam Wagstaff, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and musician/poet Patti Smith had on art in New York City in the 1970s. It began airing on the Sundance Channel in March 2008. It was named one of the 100 Best Films of 2008 by The Times, London ^[13] and in 2013 named among Blouin ArtInfo's 20 Must-Watch Artist Documentaries.^[14]

Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art

Crump wrote, produced and directed Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20]} Set in the desolate desert spaces of the American southwest, this feature documentary film unearths the history of land art during the tumultuous late 1960s and early 1970s. Troublemakers was one of twelve documentary films selected by the 53rd New York Film Festival, September 25–October 11, 2015.^[21][22] The film released theatrically at IFC Center, New York, January 8, 2016.^[23]

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco

In January 2016, filming commenced on Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco. Written, produced and directed by Crump, this documentary film concerns Antonio Lopez (1943-1987), the dominant and influential fashion illustrator in 1970s Paris and New York, and his colorful and sometimes outrageous milieu.^[24][25] In addition to Lopez, the film features Jessica Lange, Jerry Hall, Bob Colacello, Grace Jones, Grace Coddington, Tina Chow, Patti D'Arbanville, Karl Lagerfeld, Juan Ramos, Bill Cunningham, Jane Forth, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Jordan, Paul Caranicas, Joan Juliet Buck, Corey Tippin and Michael Chow among others. Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco releases early 2017.

Books

Books (as author)

• (2013) James Welling: Monograph. Aperture. ISBN 978-1597112093^[26]
• (2012) Doug and Mike Starn: Gravity of Light. Skira Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-3897-4.
• (2010) Walker Evans: Decade by Decade. Hatje Cantz. ISBN 978-3-7757-2491-3.^[27][28][29]
• (2009) Variety: Photographs by Nan Goldin. Skira Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-3255-2.^[30][31][32]
• (2007) Albert Watson. Phaidon Press Limited. ISBN 978-0-7148-4755-9.
• (1995) F. Holland Day: Suffering the Ideal. Twin Palms Publishers. ISBN 978-0-944092-33-0.^[33][34]
• (1993) George Platt Lynes: Photographs from the Kinsey Institute. Bulfinch Press/Little Brown & Co. ISBN 978-0-8212-1996-6.

Books (as co-author)

• (2014) Carlo Mollino: Polaroids, second edition. Damiani. ISBN 978-8862083782.
• (2013) It's Modern: The Eye and Visual Influence of Alexander Liberman. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0847840717.
• (2012) Herb Ritts: L.A. Style. J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 978-1-60606-100-8.
• (2011) High Heels: Fashion, Femininity and Seduction. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-51572-3.
• (2010) Starburst: Color Photography in America 1970–1980. Hatje Cantz. ISBN 978-3-7757-2490-6.^[35][36]
• (2004) Meridel Rubenstein: Belonging: Los Alamos to Vietnam. St. Ann's Press. ISBN 978-0-9753302-0-3.
• (1998) When We Were Three: The Travel Albums of George Platt Lynes, Monroe Wheeler and Glenway Wescott. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-0-9657280-4-1.^[37][38]
• (1994) Harm's Way: Lust & Madness, Murder & Mahem. Twin Palms Publishers. ISBN 978-0-944092-28-6.^[39]

Select books (as editor/publisher)

• (2002) Garry Winogrand: 1964. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-62-3.^[40]
• (2002) Berenice Abbott/Eugène Atget. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-63-0.
• (2002) Carlo Mollino: Polaroids. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-60-9.
• (2001) Robert Mapplethorpe: Autoportrait. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-41-8.
• (2001) Richard Misrach: Golden Gate. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-41-8.
• (2000) Nadav Kander: Beauty's Nothing. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-40-1.
• (2000) Richard Misrach: Sky Book. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-28-9.
• (2000) Walker Evans: The Lost Work. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-29-6.^[41]
• (1999) Bruce Weber: Chop Suey Club. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-19-7.
• (1999) Peter Beard: Fifty Years of Portraits. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-15-9.
• (1999) Robert Mapplethorpe: Pictures. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-16-6.
• (1998) Ross Bleckner: Watercolor. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-0-9657280-9-6.
• (1998) Lynn Davis: Monument. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-07-4.
• (1998) Willem de Kooning: Drawing Seeing/Seeing Drawing. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-0-9657280-8-9
• (1998) Vik Muniz: Seeing is Believing. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-892041-00-5.
• (1997) Adam Fuss. Arena Editions. ISBN 978-1-891024-91-7.^[42]

References

External links

• Official site for James Crump
• James Crump at the Internet Movie Database
• Official site for Black White + Gray
• Official site for Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art
• Official site for Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco