Dave Heath Explained

David Martin Heath (June 27, 1931 – June 27, 2016) was an American documentary, humanist and street photographer.^{[1] [2]}

Heath's books include A Dialogue with Solitude (1965). In 2015, a retrospective of his work was hosted by Philadelphia Museum of Art. His work is held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Museum of Modern Art.

Life and work

Heath was born in Philadelphia.^[3] He was inspired by Life magazine, most notably the article "Bad Boy's Story: An Unhappy Child Learns to Live at Peace with the World"^[1] by Life photographer Ralph Crane in 1947, and the 1946 book Photography is a Language by John R. Whiting.^[4] He was a mostly self-taught photographer.^[5]

He was drafted in 1952 and served in Korea, taking many photographs there.^{[5] [6]}

On his return, he attended Philadelphia Museum College, followed by Philadelphia College of Art during the 1954 to 1955. He moved to Chicago to study at the Chicago Institute of Design in the 1955 to 1956 school year.^[7]

In 1959, he attended The New School for Social Research in New York City, where he settled.^[8] In the late 1950s, he made street photographs of people in Washington Square Park in New York City, later collected in the book Washington Square (2016).^{[9] [10] [11]}

He emigrated to Toronto in 1970.^[1]

Publications

Books by Heath

• A Dialogue with Solitude. Mew York: Community; Horizon, 1965. With an introduction by Hugh Edwards and a "letter" by Robert Frank. Edition of 1400 copies.
  • Reprinted edition. Toronto: Lumiere, 2000. .
• Korea Photographs 1953–1954. Toronto: Lumiere, 2004. .
• David Heath's Art Show. Toronto: Anonymous, 2007. . Edition of 1300 copies.
• Multitude, Solitude: The Photographs of Dave Heath. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2015. By Keith F. Davis. . With contributions by Michael Torosian and a director's foreword by Julián Zugazagoitia.
• Washington Square. Stanley/Barker, 2016. . Includes an excerpt from "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg as an introduction. Edition of 1000 copies.^{[12] [9]}
• Dialogues with Solitudes. Göttingen, Germany: Steidl; Paris: Le Bal, 2018. .
• One Brief Moment. Stanley/Barker, 2022. .

Hand made artist books by Heath

• 3. 1952.
• No Dancing in the Streets. 1954.
• Chicago. 1956.
• In Search of Self: A Portfolio. 1956.

Publications with contributions by Heath

• Ryerson: A Community of Photographers. Toronto: Ryerson Community, 1974.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• Seven Arts Coffee Gallery, New York City, 1958.^{[1] [6]}
• Multitude, Solitude: The Photographs of Dave Heath, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2015;^{[13] [14]} Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, November 2016 – March 2017.^[15] A retrospective.
• Dave Heath: Dialogues with Solitudes, Le Bal, Paris, September–December 2018;^[6] The Photographers' Gallery, London, March–June 2019.^{[6] [16] [17]}

Group exhibitions

• Museum of Modern Art, New York, November 1959^{[1] [6]}

Collections

Heath's work is held in the following permanent collections:

• J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA: 4 prints (as of March 2019)^[18]
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: 15 prints (as of March 2019)^[19]
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX: 33 prints (as of March 2019)^[20]
• Museum of Modern Art, New York: 14 prints (as of March 2019)^[21]
• Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL: 3 prints (as of March 2019)^[22]

Notes and References

1. News: 2019-03-09. Dave Heath: A haunted genius behind the camera. The Globe and Mail.
2. News: Tim. Adams. 2019-03-09. The big picture: a street corner in civil rights-era Chicago. The Guardian. 9 September 2018. 0261-3077.
3. Web site: 2019-03-09. 84-Year-Old Philly-Born Photographer, Dave Heath, Finally Gets His Due. 15 September 2015. Philadelphia.
4. http://www.josephbellows.com/artists/dave-heath/bio Biography
5. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/arts/dave-heath-photographer-of-isolation-dies-at-85.html "Dave Heath, Photographer of Isolation, Dies at 85, by Richard B. Woodward, The New York Times, July 1, 2016
6. Web site: 2019-03-09. Dave Heath: an eye for the mournful moment. Financial Times. David. Chandler.
7. Web site: 2019-03-09. David Heath's portraits from 1950s Washington Square New York published for first time. 15 November 2016. British Journal of Photography.
8. Dave Heath in the RKD
9. Web site: Alice. Newell-Hanson. 2021-06-04. candid portraits of teen beatniks in 50s washington square. 29 November 2016. I-D.
10. Web site: Lisa. Bowman. 2021-06-04. These candid pics show what life was like as a teen beatnik in the 1950s. 14 January 2017. Metro.
11. Web site: Hattie. Crisell. 2021-06-04. See Vintage Photos of the Teens Who Ran Washington Square Park in the 1950s. 30 November 2016. The Cut.
12. Web site: 2021-06-04. Washington Square by Dave Heath on Dashwood Books. Dashwood Books.
13. News: Richard B.. Woodward. 2019-03-09. ‘Multitude, Solitude: The Photographs of Dave Heath’ Review. Wall Street Journal. 28 September 2015. 0099-9660.
14. http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/829.html Multitude, Solitude: The Photographs of Dave Heath, September 19, 2015 - February 21, 2016
15. Web site: 2019-03-09. The Photographs of Dave Heath. Nelson Atkins.
16. News: Sean. O’Hagan. 2019-12-20. Top 10 photography shows of 2019. The Guardian. 16 December 2019. 0261-3077.
17. Web site: 2019-03-09. Dave Heath: Dialogues with Solitude. 23 January 2019. The Photographers' Gallery.
18. Web site: 2019-03-09. Dave Heath (American, 1931 - 2016). J. Paul Getty Museum.
19. Web site: 2019-03-09. Search / All Results. www.metmuseum.org.
20. Web site: 2019-03-09. Search the Collection. www.mfah.org.
21. Web site: 2019-03-09. Dave Heath. Museum of Modern Art.
22. Web site: 2019-03-09. Works of: Dave Heath. smartcollection.uchicago.edu.