Idea Generation

A celebration of the life and work of Nat Finkelstein – photojournalist, political activist, fugitive and veteran of the 1960s New York scene

Idea Generation Gallery
20th Jan – 14th Feb
Private View: 19th Jan 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Nat Finkelstein was one of the most respected photojournalists of modern times. Renowned for his iconic and intimate documentation of Andy Warhol’s infamous Factory, and later for his political activism including an allegiance with The Black Panthers that forced him to live abroad for 15 years, Finkelstein remained at the heart of the cultural zeitgeist up until his death aged 76, 2nd October 2009.

This retrospective brings together Finkelstein’s diverse portfolio of work achieved across five decades: from the Factory scenes, to the civil rights and anti-war protests of mid-60s America, to his continuing exploration of the subcultures of 80s and 90s New York; Nat’s photographs not only depict their subjects and scenes, but also provide a visual record of the life and times of the photographer himself.

“When all is said and done, when everything is gone, the photograph is what’s going to remain. The photographer is the producer of history.” Nat Finkelstein

After his expulsion from Brooklyn College where he first studied photography, for his fervent protest at the censorship of a college publication, Finkelstein trained under the legendary art director of Harper’s Bazaar, Alexey Brodovitch. It was after meeting Warhol and his band of freaks and followers at a Factory party in 1964 that Finkelstein was to take the most iconic images of his career; chronicling the scenes, names and faces of this underground world.

“I stayed at the factory for close to two years. I watched pop die, I saw punk being born. I participated in a cultural revolution that shook the superstructure of our society.” Nat Finkelstein

Finkelstein captured all the Factory’s faithful inhabitants including Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground and of course Warhol himself, as well as the luminaries whose cultural factions merely collided with the Factory set – Salvador Dali, Allen Ginsberg, Marcel Duchamp, Bob Dylan and more. His images presented one of the most comprehensive and intimate insights into this exclusive world ever seen: from some of the most intimate and unguarded photographs of Warhol, to hauntingly soul-capturing photographs of Sedgwick and the moment where Warhol met Dylan.

Alongside his work at the Factory, Finkelstein became increasingly involved in the civil rights and anti-war protests of mid-sixties America. A staunch political activist himself, Finkelstein took pictures from beyond the barriers, depicting the spirit of a generation desperate to make a change – a stark contrast to his self-obsessed, fame-hungry Factory subjects.

“I was getting ready to go back into what I considered to be the real world, marching with, fighting for and reporting on the folk who were out there in the streets trying to build a better world for all and not newspaper space for themselves.” Nat Finkelstein

Following a near-fifteen year break from photography, living as a fugitive in the Middle East after fleeing a federal warrant for his arrest resulting from his associations with the Black Panthers, Finkelstein returned to his native New York in 1982 after the charges had been dropped. Ever the intrepid cultural explorer, Finkelstein remained at the cutting edge of the social extremes, managing the post-punk band Khmer Rouge, and documenting the deviance and debauchery of the club kids of Manhattan’s Limelight club for his 1993 book Merry Monsters.

A photographer whose work now hangs in the permanent collections of some of the world’s leading institutions and museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the V&A in London, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne and the Smithsonian Institute, National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, and has featured in such publications as Life, Time, Vogue, Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, The Times, The Observer and Harper’s & Queen, Finkelstein’s archive is brought together for this first ever major retrospective.

Eloise Rowley, Idea Generation Gallery Manager, commented: “Idea Generation Gallery is privileged to be hosting this celebration of Nat’s life and work, a man who always lived at the cultural vanguard, and whose work always managed to be iconic yet genuine. From his unrivalled documentation of the inner-workings of the Factory scene, to his lesser known archives of political, erotica and club scenes, whist straddling various subjects and contexts, his photographs all remain testament to his continued exploration and infiltration of the subcultures of Western society.”

Co-curator and widow of Nat, Elizabeth Finkelstein said: “Nat was thrilled about his upcoming retrospective in London, a city which he loved. A man with a singular vision, From One Extreme to the Other is a poignant tribute to my late husband’s life and work.”

Idea Generation
Idea Generation was founded in 2001 around a simple proposition: find something you enjoy doing – and then try to do it better than anyone else.

Eight years on, Idea Generation now stands as one of the UK’s leading arts, entertainment and cultural PR agencies – having worked with, for, and in support of some of the most exciting projects, people, institutions, fairs, festivals, tours, exhibitions, books, magazines, films, gigs, auctions, launches, parties and premieres across the UK and the world.

In 2008, Idea Generation embarked on its biggest and most ambitious project to date: by opening its own gallery space in the heart of Shoreditch. With a soaring 50 foot wall and over 200 square feet of gallery space, the Idea Generation Gallery is one of Shoreditch’s biggest exhibition spaces.

Nat Finkelstein
Born in Brooklyn in 1933, Finkelstein studied photography under Alexey Brodovitch, the legendary art director of Harper’s Bazaar, and worked as a photojournalist for the Black Star and PIX photo agencies. Finkelstein entered Andy Warhol’s Factory as a photojournalist and remained there until mid-1967; his photographs from this period are now regarded as some of the most iconic of the time.

Since then, Finkelstein has exhibited his work worldwide in over seventy-five solo and group shows at museums and galleries including the International Centre of Photography, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, the Photographer’s Gallery, the Saatchi Gallery, London; and the Ludwig Museum, Cologne, among many others. Finkelstein’s photographs are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and The Andy Warhol Foundation, New York; the Smithsonian Institute, National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC; the V&A, London; The Stedlijk Museum, Amsterdam; Hedendaagste Kunst Museum, Ghent; Ludwig Museum, Cologne; and the Pompidou Centre, Paris, among many other public and private collections.

The author of The Andy Warhol Index (with Warhol, 1968), Andy Warhol: A Portfolio (1990), Girlfriends (1991), Merry Monsters (1993), and Andy Warhol: The Factory Years (1999), Finkelstein’s photographs have appeared in top publications including Time, Life, Sports Illustrated, Harper’s & Queen, Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, The Times, The Observer, Rolling Stone and many more.

Finkelstein died at his home in New York on 2nd October 2009 aged 76. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth and brother, Howard. At his death, he was close to completing a memoir, The Fourteen-Ounce Pound.

Contacts
For further information / Use of pictures / Interviews
Idea Generation: +44(0)20 7749 6850
Emily Airton: emily@ideageneration.co.uk
Natalie Tacq: natalie@ideageneration.co.uk
Nat Finkelstein website