From Miss Rosen’s article for AnOther:
When groundbreaking queer artist James Bidgood died in January at age 88 from complications due to Covid-19, he left behind a singular legacy that influenced a generation of artists including Pierre et Gilles and David LaChapelle. Possessed with uncompromising integrity, Bidgood lived as an openly gay man in New York at a time when homosexuality was still a crime. Whether working as a female impersonator, window dresser, fashion and costume designer, graphic designer, photographer, photo stylist, or filmmaker, Bidgood embraced glamour, fantasy and spectacle, crafting spellbinding technicolour tapestries of sensuality and desire.
A layered and complex man who refused to sell out, Bidgood was sharp, witty, and au courant. “Jim was hilarious and smart, but in the course of one meeting the tone could change quickly,” says gallerist Brian Clamp, who will be launching “Unseen Bidgood: A Memorial Exhibition, Photographs by James Bidgood (1933-2022)” on September 15 in New York. “He could be very pessimistic, angry, and upset but then on the turn of the dime, he could make another joke, crack himself up, and suddenly lift himself into a good mood. I learned over the course of the 20 years to sit back, be patient, and listen to what he had to say because he wanted to be heard.”
Browse the exhibition “Unseen Bidgood: A Memorial Exhibition” at CLAMP
Browse all of James Bidgood’s work at ClampArt