Gregory Crewdson (born September 26, 1962) is an American photographer[1] who makes large-scale, cinematic, psychologically charged prints of staged scenes set in suburban landscapes and interiors. He directs a large production and lighting crew to construct his images.[2]
As a teenager, he was part of a power pop group called the Speedies.[3] Their song "Let Me Take Your Photo" was used in 2005 by Hewlett-Packard in advertisements to promote its digital cameras.[4]
Crewdson attended Purchase College, State University of New York, where he initially planned to study psychology.[5] At Purchase, he enrolled in a photography course taught by Laurie Simmons[6] and also studied with Jan Groover.[7] He received an MFA in photography from the Yale School of Art.[8]
Life and work
Crewdson is a professor and the director of graduate studies in photography at Yale School of Art.[9]
Untitled photo from Crewdson's series Beneath the Roses (2003–2008)
Crewdson's photographs are elaborately planned, produced, and lit using crews familiar with motion picture production who light large scenes using cinema production equipment and techniques.[10] He works with a lighting team, art director, make-up and wardrobe department, props and effects to create mood, atmosphere, and open-ended narrative images.[11] He has worked with the same director of photography, Richard Sands, along with other core team members, for some 25 years.[12] He works much like a director with a budget similar to that of a movie production,[13] each image involves dozens of people and weeks to months of planning.[14]
Crewdson's most widely-known bodies of work include Twilight (1998–2002), Beneath the Roses (2003–2008), Cathedral of the Pines (2013–2014), An Eclipse of Moths (2018–2019),[19] and Eveningside (2021–2022). Crewdson's only body of work made outside of the U.S. was Sanctuary (2009), set at the abandoned Cinecittá studios outside of Rome.[20] Nearly all of his other work before and since was made in the small towns and cities in Western Massachusetts.[21]
In 2012, he was the subject of the feature documentary film Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters.[22] The film series followed the construction of and an explanation by Crewdson of his thought process and vision for pieces of Beneath the Roses.
Personal life
As of 2020, Crewdson lives primarily in western Massachusetts in a former Methodist church.[23] His long time partner, Juliane Hiam,[24] is a writer and producer[25][26] and the two work closely together.[27] Hiam has also appeared as a subject in numerous of Crewdson's pictures.[28][29] Crewdson has two children from a previous marriage.[30] Crewdson is an open-water swimmer[31] and has said that the meditative state he achieves with his daily swimming practice is fundamental to his creative process as an artist.[32]
Gregory Crewdson: Eveningside, 2012–2022. Milan: Skira Editore, 2022. ISBN8857248429. Text by Jean-Charles Vergne.
Gregory Crewdson. Munich, London, New York: Prestel, 2024. ISBN9783791391243. Edited by Walter Moser, with texts by David Fincher, Daniela Hammer-Tugendhat, Beate Hofstadler, Astrid Mahler, Watler, Moser, Matthieu Orléan, and Emily St. John Mandel.
Gregory Crewdson: 1985–2005, Kunstverein Hannover, Hanover, Germany;[34] and traveled to Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Germany, 2006;[35] Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland; and Landsgalerie Linz, Austria, 2006[36]
Gregory Crewdson: Fireflies, Skarstedt Fine Art, New York, NY, 2006[37]
Gregory Crewdson: In a Lonely Place, traveling show, C/O Berlin, Berlin, 2011; Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden, 2011;[38] Copenhagen, Denmark, 2011/2012;[39] Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Australia, 2012;[40] Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia, 2013;[41] City Gallery Wellington; and Dunedin Art Gallery, Dunedin, New Zealand, 2013[42]
Gregory Crewdson: Dream House, The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA, 2015[48]
Cathedral of the Pines, Galerie Templon, Brussels and Paris concurrently, September–October 2016;[49]The Photographers' Gallery, London, 2017;[50] Centre of Contemporary Art, Toruń, Poland, November 2017 – January 2018[51]
The Becket Pictures, FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France, 2017[53]
Gregory Crewdson: Eveningside (a survey of work from 2012 to 2022), Gallerie d'Italia, Turin, Italy, October 2022 – January 2023,[54] exhibition traveled to the LUMA Foundation at Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France, July–September 2023,[55] and VB Photography Center, Kuopio, Finland, June 12-Sept. 15 2024[56]
Gregory Crewdson: Forest Fables, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, September–October 2023[57]
Gregory Crewdson: Eveningside, Reflex Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Mar 11-May 6, 2023,[58] Alan Koppel Gallery, Chicago, April–August 2023,[59] Templon, Paris, France, Nov. 8-Dec. 23 2023[60]
Gregory Crewdson: Retrospektive, The Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria, May–September 2024[61]
Picturing Ritual. The Center for Photography, Woodstock; Neuberger Museum, SUNY Purchase, NY, 1993[63]
Daydream Nation. Luhring Augustine, New York, NY, 1993[64]
Close Encounters. Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, AL. Visual Arts Gallery, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY. Feigen Gallery, Chicago, IL. Elizabeth Koury, New York, NY, 1993[65]
Home Sweet Home and Other Fables. St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, 1993[66]
What I Did on My Summer Vacation. White Columns, New York, NY, 1996[83]
Shot: Una Visione Americana (curated by Christiana Perrella, Valentina Moncada) Valentina Moncada Gallery, Rome, Italy, 1996[84]
Show and Tell. Lauren Wittels Gallery, New York, NY, 1996[85]
Everything that's Interesting is New (organized by the DESTE Foundation). The Dakis Joannou Collection, Athens School of Fine Arts “the factory,” Athens, Greece, 1996[86]
A Thin Line. Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, 1997[87]
To Be Real. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, 1997[87]
De fleurs en mai. Oeuvres de la collection du Frac des Pays de la Loire. Maison Billaud, Fontenay-le-Comte, Pays de la Loire, France, 1997[87]
Pictures This: Photographs from Former and Current Faculty and Staff of the Cooper Union School of Art. Cooper Union Foundation Building, New York, NY, 1997[88]
Surrealism. Wexner Center for the Visual Arts, Columbus, OH, 1997[89]
The Set Up. Barbara Farber Galerie, Amsterdam. ‘97 Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea, 1997[90]
American Art Today: The Garden. The Art Museum at Florida International University, Miami, FL, 1997[91]
Making It Real (organized and circulated by Independent Curators International, New York, and curated by Vik Muniz). Traveled to The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT; Reykjavik Municipal Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland; Portland Museum of Art, ME; Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA; Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA; Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, 1997– 99[93]
The New Surrealism. Pamela Auchincloss Project Space, New York, NY, 1998[67]
Spectacular Optical. Thread Waxing Space, New York, NY, 1998[94]
Botanica: Contemporary Art and the World of Plants. Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN. Traveled to: Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND; University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal, IL; Carleton College ArtGallery, Northfield, MN; Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA; Tarble Arts Center, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL; Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago; University Gallery, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 1999[87]
Summer SurReality. Judy Ann Goldman Fine Art, Boston, MA, 1999[70]
Full Exposure: Contemporary Photography. New Jersey Center for Visual Arts, Summit, NJ, 1999[70]
As Far as the Eye Can See. Atlanta College of Art Gallery/City Gallery at Chastain, Atlanta, GA, 1999[70]
Nature is Not Romantic. The Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery at Hunter College, New York, NY, 1999[103]
Under/Exposed. Varldens Storsta Fotoutstallning, Stockholms Tunnelbana, Stockholm, 1999[104]
Affinities with Architecture. Belk Gallery, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC. Traveled to: Carroll Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Johnson,City, TN; Anderson Gallery School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 1999[105]
Before They Became Who They Are. Kravets/ Wehby Gallery, New York, NY, 2000[70]
Beastie Boys Exhibition. Gavin Brown's Enterprise, New York, NY, 2000[70]
The Swamp: On the Edge of Eden. Samuel P. Harn Museum, Gainsville, FL, 2000[114]
Larry Clark/Gregory Crewdson. Eleni Koroneou Gallery, Athens, Greece. Contemporary Group Show. Fifty One Fine Art Photography, Antwerp, Belgium. Gregory Crewdson, Vik Muniz, Hiroshi Sugimoto. Spark Inc., Tokyo, Japan, 2000[115]
Settings and Players: Theatrical Ambiguity in American Photography (curated by Louise Neri and Vince Aletti). White Cube, London. Traveled to: The City Gallery of Prague, Prague, Czech Republic, 2001[116]
Bright Paradise. The First Auckland Triennial, University of Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand, 2001[117]
Photochrome. Current Contemporary Photography from New York Galleries. Silvermine Guild Galleries, New Canaan, CT, 2001[79]
The Reality Effect: Contemporary American Photography. Guild Hall of East Hampton, East Hampton, NY, 2001[118]
Fantastic. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, MA, 2003– 04[119]
Picasso to Pop: A Growing Contemporary Collection. Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ, 2004[120]
Nunca supe si lo que me contabas era cierto o producto de tu fantasia. Galería Estrany–De La Mota, Barcelona, Spain, 2004– 05[87]
Fotografía de los años 80 y 90 en la colección del MNCARS. Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, Cuenca, Spain, 2005[121]
Acting Out: Invented Melodrama in Contemporary Photography (organized by Kathleen A. Edwards). University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, IA. Traveled to: The Neuberger Museum of Art, State University of New York, Purchase, NY, 2005[122]
Into Me/Out of Me. P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, NY. Traveled to: Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany, 2006– 07[125]
Untitled(Vicarious): Photographing the Constructed Object, Gagosian Gallery, New York, NY, 2008[126]
There But Not There (2017) – short documentary about Crewdson's casting process, directed by Juliane Hiam[197]
Making Eveningside (2022) – short interpretive documentary directed by Harper Glantz, set to original music by Stuart Bogie and James Murphy (electronic musician) about the making of Eveningside
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