David LaChapelle photographs at North Carolina Museum of Art

North Carolina Museum of Art, Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA) presents David LaChapelle: Dear Sonja, a special retrospective exhibition featuring more than 80 works spanning 40 years of the artist’s career. An opening reception with the artist and curator will be held Thursday, February 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

David LaChapelle was born in Connecticut in 1963 and attended high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Originally enrolled as a painting student with a reverence for art history, he developed his analog photograph-editing technique by hand painting negatives to achieve an abstract spectrum of color before processing his film.

At age 17 LaChapelle moved to New York City. Following his first photography show at 303 Gallery, he was hired by Andy Warhol to work at Interview magazine. Through his mastery of color, unique composition, and imaginative narratives, LaChapelle began to expand the genre of photography. By 1997 the New York Times predicted he “is certain to influence the work of a new generation … in the same way that Mr. [Richard] Avedon pioneered so much of what is familiar today” in portrait and fashion photography.

In the decades since, LaChapelle has become one of the most published photographers globally, and many of his works have become iconic archetypes of America in the twenty-first century. Featuring over 80 prints, drawings, and videos across the NCMA’s two campuses, David LaChapelle: Picture Show (NCMA in Raleigh) and Dear Sonja, (NCMA Winston-Salem) honor the artist’s journey over the past four decades. This section of the artist’s retrospective surveys many of his iconic, staged tableau works and interpretive series, including Deluge and Jesus Is My Homeboy.

David LaChapelle: Dear Sonja, is co-curated by David LaChapelle Studio and Maya Brooks, and organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art.

EXHIBITION PROGRAMS

Artist Talk with David LaChapelle
Friday, February 28, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Enjoy a special artist talk with exhibiting artist David LaChapelle and curator Maya Brooks, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Tickets: Included with exhibition admission

Study Hall: The Photographer’s Mirror
March 5 / March 12 / March 19 / March 26 | 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Join C. Stephen Hurst, director of Photography at Sawtooth School for Visual Art, for a four-part seminar exploring the role photography plays in our lives, and its enduring significance in an increasingly digital age.
Tickets: $125 Members / $175 Non-members

Curator Tour – David LaChapelle: Dear Sonja,
Thursday, April 10, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Go deeper into this expansive exhibition with a special curator tour of Main Gallery, led by Maya Brooks.
Tickets: Included with exhibition admission

Film Screening: RIZE (2005)
Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m.
Directed by David LaChapelle, “RIZE” chronicles a dance movement that rises out of South Central Los Angeles with roots in clowning and street youth culture.
Tickets: Included with exhibition admission

Pop Visions: The Music Videos of David LaChapelle
Thursday, May 8, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Enjoy a special screening of music videos directed by David LaChapelle in the auditorium at NCMA Winston-Salem.
Tickets: Included with exhibition admission

ABOUT NCMA WINSTON-SALEM

NCMA Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA), an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art and division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources since 2007, offers a front row seat to the art of our time through exhibitions, experiences, and education programs with a focus on regional working artists. Founded in 1956 and located on the scenic James G. Hanes estate in Winston-Salem, NCMA Winston-Salem offers unique large-scale indoor and outdoor settings for exploring the intersections of contemporary art and culture.

NCMA Winston-Salem is located at 750 Marguerite Dr, Winston-Salem, NC 27106.

Learn more at www.ncmawinstonsalem.gov.