Lachapelle Land: Photographs
In the afterword to this dizzying collection of his photographs, fashion and celebrity photographer LaChapelle says: "If there's an exhibitionist left who wants his or her picture taken, I'll be there." His pictures of the famous and not-so-famous in outrageous poses and situations bear this out. Following Truman Capote's dictum that "good taste is the death of art," he shoots Faye Dunaway flat on her back on top of a limousine, Tom Jones hanging off a truck in a pink cat suit, a porn star in Times Square on an overstuffed chair surrounded by balloons, naked people piled up in Plexiglas boxes and other bizarre scenes, all in garish colors. It's a matter of pride with LaChapelle that the magazines that buy his pictures?Details, Paris Vogue, The Face, Vanity Fair?love his craziness, and he and his subjects wallow in it. Like children trashing a grownups' party, they smash the furniture, scatter the debris and smear everyone with Reddi Whip and cake frosting, giggling all the while, creating swirls of eye candy that will delight those who cherish style and equate surface and substance. This celebration of high camp comes packaged in a gaudy box designed by Japanese graphic artist Tadanori Yokoo.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.