Fred W. McDarrah was the first picture editor and only staff photographer at The Village Voice for decades. He photographed the artists, writers, musicians, and actors who frequented the bars, theaters, art galleries, and cafes in Greenwich Village. He documented political rallies, gay rights, feminism, and the anti-war movement. In a style both simple and direct McDarrah created street and studio portraits of downtown luminaries, local politicians and bohemian celebrities that were often definitive. Many of his subjects, often little known when he shot them, became cultural icons, such as Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, and Allen Ginsberg.
Save the Village is an exhibition of over 130 rare and iconic vintage prints spanning the years 1958 to 1979 that seeks to demonstrate that Fred W. McDarrah was the most curious, knowledgeable, and indefatigable photographer of the New York downtown scene in the second half of the 20th century.
Born in Brooklyn, McDarrah (1926 – 2007) bought his first camera at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. He served as a U.S. Army paratrooper in Occupied Japan at the end of World War II, camera usually in hand, and then earned a Journalism degree from NYU on the G.I. Bill. When a neighbor told McDarrah he was starting a newspaper to be called The Village Voice McDarrah signed on. He was associated with the paper for the rest of his life. His archive of over 35,000 vintage prints has been represented by Steven Kasher Gallery since 2001. He is survived by his wife Gloria and sons Patrick and Timothy.
EXHIBITION
Fred W. McDarrah: Save the Village
From January 30 through March 8, 2014
Opening on January 30th, 6 – 8 PM
Steven Kasher Gallery
521 W. 23rd St.,
New York, NY 10011
USA
