Bill ARMSTRONG
Introduction
Fascinated by the profound effect that color can have on perception and emotions, Bill Armstrong produces lush, semi-abstract, semi-figurative photographs. Working in series, he makes his photographs by taking intentionally blurred photographs of other photographs. For example, for his “Infinity” series, begun in 1997, Armstrong gathers existing photographs—of Roman sculpture, Old Master drawings, or film stills—and alters them in various ways, including cutting them apart or painting over them. He then sets his camera’s lens to “infinity”, an extremely out-of-focus range, and photographs these manipulated images. Explaining his process and its results, he writes: “Extreme de-focusing enables me to blend and distill hues, creating rhapsodies of color that are meditative pieces—glimpses into a space of pure color, beyond our focus, beyond our ken.”
Biography
Exhibitions
2019
Bill Armstrong Selected Exhibitions in 2019:
Aperture Photographs, Aperture, New York City
2018
Bill Armstrong Selected Exhibitions in 2018:
Turn it to 1, curated by Raechel McCarthy, Clampart, Artsy.net Online-Exclusive Exhibition
In Full Light: Nine Photographers interpret the Vatican Museums, Palazzo Reale Milano, Milan
2015
Bill Armstrong Selected Exhibitions in 2015:
Buddha and Mandala, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX (solo exhibition)
2008
School of Visual Arts, NY, NY, “Faculty Exhibition,” January-February
2008
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, “Mandala”, Fall, Date TBA (solo)
2008
ClampArt, New York, NY, “Renaissance,” (solo)
2007
Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, PA, “Apparition,” (solo)
2007
DeSantos Gallery, Houston, TX, “Spirit: From Darkness to Light,” (solo)
2007
International Center of Photography, NY, NY, “Faculty Exhibition: About This,”
2007
Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO, “Renaissance,”
2006
International Center of Photography, NY, NY, “Faculty Exhibition,”
2006
Houston Community College Central Fine Art Gallery, “Figure in the Landscape,”
2006
Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO, “Blue Sphere,” (solo)
2006
Parkerson Gallery, Houston, TX, “Apparition,” (solo)
2006
Scott White Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA, “Photographs From the Infinity Series,” (solo)
2005
ClampArt, New York, NY, “Apparition,” (solo)
2005
Gallery Kayafas, Boston, MA, “Spirit,” (solo)
2005
Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, “Photo National,” Curated by Kate Ware,
2005
Recontres D’Arles, Arles, France, “Sans regardes, or no eyes: looking at collection Dancing Bear,”
2004
Hayward Gallery, London, UK, “About Face,” Curated by William Ewing
2004
Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, FL, “Fresh Works,” Curated by Kevin Miller
2004
ClampArt, New York, NY, “Spirit,” (solo)
2003
Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, NY, “Recent Photographs,” (solo)
2003
Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA, “Mandala,” (solo)
2003
Culturgest, Lisbon, Portugal, Curated by William Ewing
2003
Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, NY, “Fear of Flying,”
2002
International Center of Photography, New York, NY, “The House of Light,” Curated by Bernard Yenelouis
2002
Joel Soroka Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, “Mandala,”
2001
An American Space Gallery New York, NY
2000
Casa da Fotographia Fuji Sao Paulo, Brazil
2000
Fuller Museum of Art Brockton, MA
2000
Joel Soroka Gallery Aspen, CO
2000
McCann-Erikson Gallery New York, NY
1999
Gallery Artists Show, Uma Gallery New York, NY
1999
Passion As Art / Art As Passion, Richard Anderson Fine Art New York, NY
1999
Roy Park School of Communications, Ithaca College Ithaca, NY
1998
Group Show, P.S. 122 New York, NY
1998
Gallery Artists Show, Uma Gallery New York, NY
1998
Posters American Style, Smithsonian Instit., Nat'l. Museum of American Art
1997
Gallery Artists Show, Robert Klein Gallery Boston, MA
1997
The Art Exchange New York, NY
1997
Int'l Center of Photography Education Gallery New York, NY
1997
Uma Gallery New York, NY
1995
Candace Perich Gallery Ridgefield, CT
1995
Dru Arstark Gallery New York, NY
1994
Z. Affiches Ltd. New York, NY
1988
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Cambridge, MA
1985
The Field Gallery Martha's Vineyard, MA
1983
Concord Performing Arts Center Concord, MA
1982
Concord Public Library Concord, MA
1980
Roger Harvey Fine Art Boston, MA
public collections
- Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts
- Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
- Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City
- Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, Massechusetts
- Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Centro Internazionale di Fotographia, Milan, Italy
- DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts
- Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Lehigh University Art Galleries, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Musée de l'Elysee , Lausanne, Switzerland
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
- Museum of the City of New York, New York City
- Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California
- New Britain Museum of Art, New Britain, Connecticut
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
- Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California
- Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Vatican Museum, Rome
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- W. M. Hunt/Dancing Bear, New York City
- Woodstock Center for Photography, Woodstock, New York