Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Alex Harsley
Born 1938 South Carolina
Harlem Raised
NYC 1948-Present
Documentary Photographer
Experimental Videographer AHarsley Photography
Curator, The 4th Street Photo Gallery
Founder, Minority Photographers Inc
Contact: Kendra.Krueger@gmail.com
www.the4thstreetphotogallery.com
About the Artist
Alex Harsley is known for his raw
reportage style of photography which
he began in 1958 as the first black
photographer for the New York City
District Attorney.
AHarsley Photography
Hi resolution digital TIFF custom printed
or
Select Silver Gelatin Master Prints
ranging in size, 22 x 24 and 8 x 10
Photography
Those Who
Those Who tells the story of prominent black
activists, artists and political powers from the
1950s thru the 1990s. Those who dared, those
who succeeded, those who died trying.
Dreaming in America
Dreaming in America is a container for the
psychic struggle of American idealism.
Capitalism, fear, hope, identity, harmony,
Harsley Photography and discord are all pursued and visited in
this dream like journey.
Anti-Gravity
Anti-Gravity is an installation and
experiment in balance and energy. The
delicate balance of floating materials is a
Harsley Photography dynamic piece which responds and adapts
to the forces within a room. Watch as it
ebbs and flows with the sounds in a room
and provides dynamic damp for any echo
prone space.
Contact Information
youtube.com/photodirect
etsy.com/shop/AHarsleyPhotography
4thstreetphoto
www.the4thstreetphotogallery.com
Full Portfolio
Born Rock Hill, South Carolina
Lives and works in New York City
Education
Private studies with Lloyd Varden (scientific advisor to photographic industry)
Solo Exhibitions
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
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
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