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Alex Harsley

Born 1938
Documentary Photographer
Curator, The 4th Street Photo Gallery
Founder, Minority Photographers Inc
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Alex Harsley has curated The 4th Street Photo Gallery and The Minority Photographers non-profit since the early 1970's.  His own reportage style of photography started in 1958 as the first black photographer for the New York City District Attorey.  Since that time he has continued to capture the true intimate moments and personality of New York City.  His collection contains the historical lineage of musicians, politicians, street folk, landscapes and neighbors from the 1950's through present day.  His documentary medium consists of film, digital photography and digital sound and video. ​
Booking Information

Collections

Vintage Harlem
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Harlem 1959
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Harlem 1980
Black Political Leaders
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1969 Presidential Rally for Shirley Chisholm
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Harry Belefonte, Coretta Scott King, Angela Davis
Musicians
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Charles Mingus
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John Coltrane at the Apollo 1959
The Lower East Side/East Village
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Wigstock 1990s
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1970s 4th Street
Coney Island
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More from the Archives

Mohammad Ali
Vintage Cycling
Rural Landscapes
City Landscapes
Archive
Video Art

Accomplishments

Born Rock Hill, South Carolina, 1938
Lives and works in New York City


Education
 Private studies with Lloyd Varden (scientific advisor to photographic industry)


Solo Exhibitions
 2022                  
60 Years of Images From My NYC Community, Studio One, New York
 2021                  The First Light from Darkness Alex Harsley, Pioneer Works, New York
 2019                  Entanglements, The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, New York
                            Harlem Postcards, The Studio Museum, New York
 2017                  Alex Harsley: An Overview, June Kelly Gallery, New York
 2014                  A Visual History of the Lower East Side/ East Village, June Kelly Gallery, New York
                            Alex Harsley: The Comeback of Mohammed Ali, Torch Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
 2013                  The Four Seasons of Alex Harsley,  AyzART, New York
 2012                  50 Years of Fine Art Images, June Kelly Gallery, New York
 2005                  Dualities, 4th Street Photo Gallery, New York
 2004                  44 Years of New York, June Kelly Gallery, New York
 2002                  Patchworks, essay by Dawoud Bey, June Kelly Gallery, New York
 1997                  Chiaroscuro, June Kelly Gallery, New York
 1973-97            4th Street Photo Gallery, New York
 1978                 Black History Museum, Hempstead, NY
 1974                 Parallels of Inspiration, Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA
 1971                 Optional Art One; Optional Art Two; Man, Matter & Art, Image Gallery, New York


Selected Group Exhibitions
 2007                  Celebration: Nine Artists Commemorate the 35th Anniversary of Winston-Salem Delta Fine Arts,
                               Winston-Salem, NC; brochure
 2004                  A Universe of Art, organized by Corporate Art Directions, Credit Suisse First Boston, NY
 1976                  Rhythms of Vision, Contemporary Arts Gallery, New York
 1973                  Communications ’73,Union Carbide Gallery, New York
                           Communications ’73, Long Island University, New York
 1972                  Symbols in the Mind - A Closer Look, Long Island University, New York


Selected Periodicals & Reviews
 2015                   
Lynne Tillman, "Alex Harsley: The President Resigns" Osmos Issue12
 2014                   Elana Scherr, "A Daily Driver 1968 Dodge Dart GTS,"  Motortrend Feb 10, 2014
 2013                   Safran, Yehuda E., “Philip Johnson in MoMA’s Garden,” Potlach: A Journal of the
                                Potlach Lab at Columbia University GSAPP, Issue #3, Spring, pp. 81-83, one photograph
 2012                   Kley, Elisabeth, reviews: new york, “Alex Harsley, June Kelly,” ARTnews, September, pp.110-111
                            Cotter, Holland, “Alex Harsley,” Art in Review, The New York Times, June 15, p. C25
                            Boyd, Herb, “Alex Harsley’s Photos at June Kelly’s Gallery, The Network Journal, Friday, June 15
 2004                  Bey, Dawoud, “Into the Light,” review, art on paper, May/June
                            Aletti, Vince, review, Village Voice, February 4-10
 2002                  Tabron, Christopher, “Tiny ‘Patchworks’ of Art,” SoHo Weekly News, April
 1997                   Schjeldahl, Peter, “Whitney Biennial,” video collaboration with installation artist
                               David Hammons, Village Voice
 1985                   Braff, Phyllis, “Pictures Worth a thousand Words,” The New York Times,  Sunday, April
 1975                   Henni, P., “SWN Discoveries,” Soho Weekly News
 1971                   Coleman, A. D., “Latent Image,” Village Voice Coleman, A. D., “Shows We’ve Seen,”
                           Popular Photography


Public Collection
                           Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture,
                               Washington, DC


Public Commissions
 2000                 Health and Hospital Corporation, Woodhull Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY


Professional Experience
 2004                   Artist-in-Residence, Light Work, Syracuse, New York
 1975-2003         Collaborative work with Dawoud Bey and David Hammons
 1991-1999         Freelance: Schomburg Library for Research in Black Culture
 1991-1992         Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration and Harlem Textiles Works
 1971                   Photojournalist, Relevant Magazine, photographing Muhammad Ali at training camp,
                                Deer Lake, PA
 1970-1971         Arverne Photographic Project
 1967-1970         Supervisor, Color Lab (Types C&R)
 1964-1967         Freelance for variety of black publications
 1961-1963         Photographer, U.S. Army
 1959                   Photographer, New York County, District Attorney’s Office


Film/Video
 1994-2001         Collaboration with choreographer Rod Rogers
 2000                   Collaboration with poet John Farris at Tribes Gallery
 1996-2000         Feature video, “The Life and Work of Vincent Smith”
 1999                   “Circles,” video collaboration with Candida Alvarez
                            “Passages,” feature piece for The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
 1989-1999        Produced video for Harlem Textiles Works with the late director Kerris Wolsky
 1998                  Produced DVD for David Hammons
 1995                  “Kick the Bucket,” video collaboration with installation artist David Hammons
                            “The Plastic Man,” video collaboration with installation artist David Hammons


Contributor to the following publications:
 1976                  UNICEF Calendar, UNICEF, New York
 1975                  Looking Ahead, Harcourt Brace Jovanovic, Inc., New York
 1974                  Creative Photography, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY


Achievements
 1973-present   Opened the 4th Street Photo Gallery, as owner and director
 1971                   Founded Minority Photographers, Inc, where he organized work and exhibitions of
                                emerging photographers and acted as consultant
                             Published, “Person, Camera & The Image” newsletter (2,000 readership) to which he was
                               a regular contributor with a piece called “To What Purpose a Leaf”
                             Organized special collection of photos taken in China, 1927-31by G.W. Meacham,
                               U.S. merchant sailor


Biography
 2000                  Dictionary of International Biography, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England
                           The Complete Book of Photographers, Macmillan
 1988                  Willis-Thomas, Debra, An Illustrated Bio-Bibliography of Black Photographers, 1940-1988,
                               Vol. 2, Garland Publishing Company, New York, 1988


Miscellaneous
 1971                   Coached and collaborated with cyclist Patrick Gulanau who won national and
                               international races both on track and road. In 2003, Gulanau won the Masters
                               National Track championship
 1960                   Trained and collaborated with cyclist Herbert Francis, Olympics in Italy
 1959                   Photographed the six-day indoor bicycle races at Madison Square Garden, New York
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