David Perry & Associates

2 September 2009 – San Francisco, CA: If a picture is worth a thousand words then the iconic images of photographer Victor Arimondi (www.victorarimondi.net) are an unfinished epic: a tone poem that blurs the boundaries of fashion and art, and delves into realms of the sensual,  the celebratory and society’s disenfranchised.  In the first major retrospective of the artist’s work since his death from AIDS/HIV in 2001, A Compassionate Eye: The Work of Victor Arimondi explores the incredible breadth of the internationally-acclaimed photographer often compared to – but lesser known than – such contemporaries as Mapplethorpe, and Bianci. The exhibit opens September 12 at the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center of San Francisco’s Main Public Library (100 Larkin Street, 3rd Floor). Entrance to the exhibit is free and open to the public.  On Wednesday, September 16th, 6pm ‘til 8pm, prints of rare hitherto unseen images by Arimondi will be auctioned off in a benefit for the AIDS Emergency Fund (www.aef.org) hosted by Harry Denton’s Starlight Room (450 Powell Street, 21st floor) overlooking Union Square atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

 

“There must have been a lot of power behind Victor's spirit as an artist for us to continually be so engaged in the work, and the process of putting together this exhibit,” said Adam Stoltman, a former photography editor at the New York Times who has curated the exhibit in concert with documentary photographer Regina Monfort and Arimondi’s former partner, Dr. Donald Hershman. “Jim Van Buskirk of the Hormel Center remarked to me the first time I visited him that Victor was always sending him cards, photos, friendly updates and good wishes.  ‘Victor really cared about and understood the importance of what we were doing here, even before we really became anything’ he told me. So, it’s especially fitting that this exhibit begins here in San Francisco where Victor spent so much of his life.”

 

“Victor Arimondi gave so much of himself to San Francisco,” said Karen Sundheim, Program Manager for the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library. “His photographs have preserved an important piece of our history and culture. I am proud to be presenting his work here in the Hormel Center of San Francisco Public Library.”

 

Part of New York’s heady “pop art” era, Arimondi started as a fashion model before turning the lens on his former life often citing his admiration for the work of Avedon as one of his inspirations. Born in Italy in 1942, it was in Sweden that Arimondi was discovered while working as a laborer. Soon, his rough-hewn beauty made him one of Europe’s most popular regulars in print and on the runway, an experience which led him to his ultimate career. His varied palette and incredible output – with more than 3000 photos --  included male nudes, high fashion treatments, photo montages and later documenting the plight of the homeless and the onslaught of AIDS / HIV.  When he died in his adopted home of San Francisco on July 24, 2001, his face and work had graced most of the world’s top fashion publications and several books, now collectors’ items.  

 

“My approach to photography has never been causal,” Arimondi once said.  “Since I posed in front of the camera so many years, my experience with talented photographers made me realize a way to express my inner world.  My approach to beauty is dominated by my classical background and European style.  I came to this country to further develop my style and spirit – I believe that I have been faithful to my ideal.” 

 

“I’ve always thought that the experience of having begun his career as a fashion model gave him an understanding of both sides of the camera, and a certain sensitivity to human fragility,” said Hershman. 

 

The James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center is the gateway to collections documenting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered history and culture, with a special emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to books, periodical and archival collections, the Center sponsors changing exhibitions and public programs.