Herbert Ritts was a California boy.  Growing up, he lived in Steve McQueen’s neighborhood in Brentwood, which, according to many biographies I have read recently, was an instrumental synergy that launched his comfort level with celebrity.

The quotes from his high profile portrait subjects include statements about how using daylight was his strength and that they felt at ease in front of his lens:

“Herb made me look how I wish I looked when I woke up in the morning.” – Cindy Crawford

“In his sweet disarming way he suggested that we work together again and I agreed to it. And that was the beginning of an incredibly long and fruitful working relationship, but it was also the beginning of a great friendship.” – Madonna

“Working with Herb was more like just hanging out with a friend. We’d joke, chatter and gossip and at the end of the day he would have captured the whole thing in the lens. He was a great guy.” – David Bowie

Herb Ritts – The Rock Portraits is on display at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York (5798 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, NY 13326).  The photographs are on loan from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio until September 2, 2019.

The show is a mirror of my youth.  So many images that I have seen on album covers, in music videos, in fashion magazines – Herb Ritts is like an old friend.  It is as if you know him.  Knew him.  You can envision him working because it is evident that it was not work.  It was more like a relationship, the way he presented people at ease in the present moment, not thinking about what they must do later in the week or later that day, but being in the now.  You can see this in the eye contact, in the way the light shines on their faces and in the crispness of the images.

Ritts captures the essence of his subjects.  What I see in the photographs is the “authentic self”, the real person behind the fame.  The Bob Dylan pictures are gritty, as though the man cannot hide a lifetime of struggling with inner demons.  The Bruce Springsteen images reflect a certain shyness beneath the success.  And the Madonna images are, to me, the most iconic, spanning the ’80s and ’90s and showing us a vulnerable, little Italian girl who grows in confidence and artistic resonance with every click.  We get to witness that evolution, that living history, and that is a beautiful thing. <3

It is this contrast between the legend and the human spirit that gives credence to Ritts as artist rather than commercial photographer for hire, and is the reason why these photographs and videos belong in a museum.  They are evidence of the art of living, the art of performing, the art of communicating a visual language of persona, and the art of documenting artistic merit as an art.  It is all about authenticity.

The photographs are accessorized with costumes and musical instruments, also on loan from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  This is Madonna’s.  I could totally rock this – OMG, I know it would fit me.  Unfortunately, it was on a mannequin and encased in lucite or else it would have been my #ootd.

I took these pictures yesterday, took a day trip to Cooperstown, which I highly recommend!  You must go to there!  The drive was spectacular – from Syracuse, New York, it is an hour by New York State Thruway then an additional forty minutes down Route 28.  Cooperstown is truly a magical place.  Home to so many attractions – the Glimmerglass Opera House, the Baseball Hall Of Fame, the legendary Cardiff Giant (on view at the Farmer’s Museum).

And the Fenimore Art Museum is on the lake.  It is just incredibly gorgeous there – it was my first time and I felt like Cinderella arriving at the castle for the ball.  Just spectacular!

They are open today 10 am – 5 pm.  Call (607) 547-1400 for more information about this wonderful place. <3