Alex Harsley

Alex Harsley (born 1938 in Rock Hill, South Carolina) is an American photographer, multimedia artist and founder of the Fourth Street Photo Gallery who lives and works in New York City.[1][2]

Alex Harsley
Born1938 (age 84–85)
Rock Hill, South Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Known forPhotography
ChildrenKendra Krueger

Early life and education

Harsley was born to a Methodist mother in Rock Hill and began working on the family cotton and peanut farm as a child during World War II. He met his father, a soldier, in 1945. Harsley moved to New York City in 1948.[1][3]

Career

Harsley purchased his first real camera, an Exakta XV, in 1959.[4][1] His first job in New York was a bike messenger, allowing him to multitask as a street photographer. Harsley was the first black photographer in the New York City District Attorney’s office under Frank Hogan.[5][6][7] In 1959 he had his first photo exhibition in Harlem.[1]

Originally Harsley worked in street photography, events and portraiture. He has photographed John Coltrane and Ray Charles at the Apollo, Sarah Vaughn at Birdland, Muhammad Ali, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Shirley Chisholm’s nomination for President.He photographed activists Harry Belefonte, Coretta Scott King, Paul Robeson Jr and Angela Davis when they met for the first time at a benefit in 1972.[1][3][2][7][8] A Harsley photo of Muhammad Ali adorned Darren Walker's office in 2019.[9][10]

Harsley began working in video and digital photography, creating experimental video works and collaborating with artist David Hammons with many of his performance works. Hammons' "Phat Free" video was a collaboration with Harsley and was included in the 1997 Whitney Biennial.[1]

Harsley founded Minority Photographers, Inc. in 1971 in the Lower East Side in New York. He created the nonprofit, 4th Street Photo Gallery, in 1973 as a venue for the group and his growing community of photographers. Exhibitions at the gallery included the work of Curtis Cuffie, Dawoud Bey, Eli Reed, Cynthia MacAdams, Denise Keim, David Hammons and Terry Adkins, and the photos of musician Vernon Reid. Harsley gave Andres Serrano his first exhibition in New York City. It was known as "the Black barbershop of photography," where emerging artists of color mingled with notable artists like Abelardo Morell, Spencer Tunick and A. D. Coleman.[1][3][2]

Personal life

Harsley is an avid bicyclist. He married Shelagh Krueger and has a daughter named Kendra Krueger who has been helping to archive his work.[1][5][6]

References
  1. Glicksman, Marlaine. "Alex Harsley: New York's last iconoclast". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  2. Cotter, Holland (2012-06-14). "Alex Harsley (Published 2012)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  3. "Alex Harsley is an unsung doyen of New York photography". The Economist. 2019-01-26. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  4. "Alex Harsley Bio". The 4th Street Photo Gallery. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  5. Boylan, Jeannie Downs (2019-11-08). "An Artist's Refuge: The 4th Street Photo Gallery". CBS Local NYC. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  6. YARLAGADDA, TARA (August 31, 2018). "Minority Photographers Archives". Bedford + Bowery. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  7. Tiu, Van (October 22, 2018). "Stepping Back Into Time at the 4th Street Photo Gallery". www.ny1.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  8. Reyes, Damaso (July 6, 2017). "Photographer Alex Harsely lights up June Kelly Gallery". amsterdamnews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  9. Bartolucci, Marisa (2019-09-27). "Darren Walker and Lisa Kim Talk About Their Bold Choices For the New Ford Foundation Gallery". Interior Design. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  10. Impact, Sorenson. "Philanthropy Should Take Risks". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
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