An ode to youth, beauty and love, David Armstrong’s work is both ethereal, fleeting and subtle, yet almost unbearably truthful, timeless and sincere. Part of the so-called Boston-school, for the most of his life Armstrong was known as one of Nan Goldin’s best friends and assistant rather than an artist in his own right. Appreciated for his delicate portraits of young men, Armstrong was only ever able to capture the essence of people he loved or felt connected to, which, perhaps explains why he found it difficult to engage with the fashion sphere of which he only recently became a universally appreciated member. Unfortunately, Armstrong’s newly re-discovered career as a fashion photographer was interrupted last Saturday, when he died at the age of 60. While the youthful characters portrayed in his images cannot escape the passage of time, David Armstrong’s life and work most certainly already have.
Rujana Rebernjak
