Mark Morrisroe
Encyclopedia
Mark Morrisroe was a performance artist
and photographer. He is known for his performances and photographs, which were germane in the development of the punk
scene in Boston in the 70's and the art world boom of the mid to late 80's in NYC. By the year of his death he had 2,000 pieces of work to his name.
Born to a drug-addicted mother, Morrisroe left home and began hustling
at the age of 15. His mother was a tenant of Albert DeSalvo
, the Boston Strangler
, and Mark often told people he was DeSalvo's illegitimate son. When he was 17 years old, one of his disgruntled clients shot him in the back, leaving him with a bullet lodged next to his spine for the rest of his life. The experience was a profound influence on Morrisroe's art, which often incorporated images of young prostitutes and X-ray
s of his injured chest. Morrisroe attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
, where he made friends with several soon to be well known artists, including Nan Goldin
, David Armstrong
, Philip-Lorca diCorcia
, Stephen Tashjian (aka Tabboo!), Gail Thacker and Pat Hearn. His boyfriend while he lived in Boston was Johnathan Pierson, who later changed his name to Jack Pierson
. He graduated from the Museum School with honors receiving the coveted "5th" Year" Award. While attending, he co-founded a zine
, Dirt Magazine with his friend Lynelle White and performed as a drag
character of his own creation named Sweet Raspberry.
His career as a photographer began when he was given a Polaroid
Model 195 Land camera
. He experimented with unusual development techniques, receiving generous support of supplies, film, and chemicals from the Polaroid Corporation. Within his close circle of friends he soon laid claim to the "invention" of what are called "sandwich" prints—enlargements of double negatives of the same subject mounted on top of one another—which yielded an elaborate pictorial quality, producing a very iconic painterly impression in the final result, which over time Morrisroe learned to use in an increasingly controlled way. Early on, the artist recognized the intrinsic value of prints—irrespective of the medium used to produce them—as pictorial objects that he could manipulate, color, paint, and write on at will. His photographs included landscapes and portrait
s, and his subjects included lovers, friends, hustlers, and people who visited his apartment. He also often incorporated stills from Super 8
films and comments he scrawled on the side of his pictures.
Morrisroe died on July 24, 1989 from complications of HIV. He is buried in McMinnville, Oregon on the farm of his last boyfriend, Ramsey McPhillips. His fame has increased steadily since his death. He is considered a member of the "Boston School" and his work is found in many important collections including that of the Whitney and MOCA of Los Angeles. The estate of Mark Morrisroe (Collection Ringier) is currently located at the Fotomuseum Winterthur.
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
and photographer. He is known for his performances and photographs, which were germane in the development of the punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
scene in Boston in the 70's and the art world boom of the mid to late 80's in NYC. By the year of his death he had 2,000 pieces of work to his name.
Born to a drug-addicted mother, Morrisroe left home and began hustling
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
at the age of 15. His mother was a tenant of Albert DeSalvo
Albert DeSalvo
Albert Henry DeSalvo was a criminal in Boston, Massachusetts who confessed to being the "Boston Strangler", the murderer of 13 women in the Boston area. DeSalvo was not imprisoned for these murders, however, but for a series of rapes...
, the Boston Strangler
Boston Strangler
The Boston Strangler is a name attributed to the murderer of several women in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in the early 1960s. Though the crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo, investigators of the case have since suggested the murders were not committed by one person.-First Stage...
, and Mark often told people he was DeSalvo's illegitimate son. When he was 17 years old, one of his disgruntled clients shot him in the back, leaving him with a bullet lodged next to his spine for the rest of his life. The experience was a profound influence on Morrisroe's art, which often incorporated images of young prostitutes and X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
s of his injured chest. Morrisroe attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is an undergraduate and graduate college located in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the visual arts. It is affiliated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in partnership with Tufts University...
, where he made friends with several soon to be well known artists, including Nan Goldin
Nan Goldin
Nancy "Nan" Goldin is an American photographer.-Life and work:Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts suburb of Lexington, to middle class Jewish parents whose ideas, moderately liberal and progressive, were put to the test when on April 12, 1965 their eldest...
, David Armstrong
David Armstrong (photographer)
David Armstrong is a photographer based out of New York.-Personal Life:Armstrong was born in 1954, in Arlington, Massachusetts. He is openly homosexual, and uses this in his photography.-Career:...
, Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Philip-Lorca diCorcia is an American photographer. He studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Afterwards diCorcia attended Yale University where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Photography in 1979. He now lives and works in New York, and teaches at Yale University in New...
, Stephen Tashjian (aka Tabboo!), Gail Thacker and Pat Hearn. His boyfriend while he lived in Boston was Johnathan Pierson, who later changed his name to Jack Pierson
Jack Pierson
Jack Pierson is a photographer and an artist. He studied at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Pierson has made a name for himself with a body of work that includes photographs, collages, word sculptures, installations, drawings and artists books...
. He graduated from the Museum School with honors receiving the coveted "5th" Year" Award. While attending, he co-founded a zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
, Dirt Magazine with his friend Lynelle White and performed as a drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
character of his own creation named Sweet Raspberry.
His career as a photographer began when he was given a Polaroid
Instant camera
The instant camera is a type of camera that generates a developed film image. The most popular types to use self-developing film were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation....
Model 195 Land camera
Land Camera
Land cameras are instant cameras with self-developing film named after their inventor, Edwin Land, manufactured by Polaroid between the years of 1947 and 1983. Though Polaroid continued producing instant cameras after 1983, the name 'Land' was dropped from the camera name since Edwin Land retired...
. He experimented with unusual development techniques, receiving generous support of supplies, film, and chemicals from the Polaroid Corporation. Within his close circle of friends he soon laid claim to the "invention" of what are called "sandwich" prints—enlargements of double negatives of the same subject mounted on top of one another—which yielded an elaborate pictorial quality, producing a very iconic painterly impression in the final result, which over time Morrisroe learned to use in an increasingly controlled way. Early on, the artist recognized the intrinsic value of prints—irrespective of the medium used to produce them—as pictorial objects that he could manipulate, color, paint, and write on at will. His photographs included landscapes and portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s, and his subjects included lovers, friends, hustlers, and people who visited his apartment. He also often incorporated stills from Super 8
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
films and comments he scrawled on the side of his pictures.
Morrisroe died on July 24, 1989 from complications of HIV. He is buried in McMinnville, Oregon on the farm of his last boyfriend, Ramsey McPhillips. His fame has increased steadily since his death. He is considered a member of the "Boston School" and his work is found in many important collections including that of the Whitney and MOCA of Los Angeles. The estate of Mark Morrisroe (Collection Ringier) is currently located at the Fotomuseum Winterthur.
Exhibitions
"His work was exhibited by Pat Hearn Gallery from 1985 onward, including solo exhibitions in 1986 and 1988, His photographs have been included in two group shows at Artists' Space: Split Vision, in 1985 (curated by Robert Mapplethorpe): and Witnesses: Against Our Vanishing, 1989 (curated by Nan Goldin). After his death, he was the center of the survey exhibition Boston School, ICA Boston 1995 (curated by Lia Gangitono). Solo exhibitions of his work have included Mark Morrisroe, 1959 - 1989, Neue Gesellschaft fur Bildende Kunst, Berlin; My Life: Mark Morrisroe, Polaroids 1977 - 1989, MOCA, Los Angeles (both 1997)"* and Mark Morrisroe: From This Moment On: Artists' Space 2011. *Bio from Artists' Space catalogue: Mark Morrisroe From This Moment On (curated by Richard Birkett and Stefan Kalmar).- 2010 Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland
- 2011 Mark Morrisroe: From This Moment On: Artists' Space. Curated by Richard Birkett and Stefan Kalmar).