Halsband: From Rock Clubs to Arts Club

A small, but excellently edited collection of Michael Halsband portraits are on display at the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park through April 25.

Included in the mix that goes back to the mid 1980s are selections from Rolling Stones tours, images of artists and other musicians of the time, his nudes series, contemporary surfers and their culture across a few continents, and some recent formal portraits.

Featured prominently are a few images from his famous Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat shoot where they donned boxing gloves to promote their duel show at Tony Shafrazi Gallery and Palladium in 1985.

The exhibition evinces the Water Mill photographer’s devotion to film at a time of digital dominance, and the artistry that occurs in that medium. 

The club's gallery also presents a 35mm film taken by the artist of the Rolling Stones in concert. 

Much of the subject matter offers a giddy flashback to the musicians and downtown scene of the mix-tape era, while the invention and subtlety of the photography transports viewers to the deeper realms of art.