The Tapestry by Erik Madigan Heck with Vince Aletti

From one of the leading image makers of today, The Tapestry by Erik Madigan Heck presents more than one hundred and eighty photographs in a richly colorful, experiential, and tactile new monograph that spans photography and painting. In conversation with critic and curator Vince Aletti, followed by a signing.

PLEASE NOTE: RSVPs are encouraged but not required. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Can't attend? (please specify that you would like it signed in the comments box at checkout).

Both an exploration of color and form and a dazzling artistic statement, The Tapestry is a one-of-a-kind monograph that originated during a time of deep reflection and evolution for the artist. Relentlessly creative, Madigan Heck used the enforced pause of the global pandemic as a contemplative moment to revisit a decade of his work as a photographer and artist. This collection of images serves as a meditative exploration of Heck’s fusion of photography and painting, characterized by a bold embrace of natural light, resulting in a stunning array of unapologetically beautiful and vividly colorful images.

The flowing, lyrical design created in collaboration with leading design studio APFEL, weaves a visual narrative that traces not only the evolution of Madigan Heck’s craft but also the threaded interconnections between photography, fashion, and the broader spectrum of visual art.

With contemplative texts, this volume, presented as a covetable, collectible, and immersive book object, will appeal to all who appreciate light, color, and form in art and photography.

Erik Madigan Heck is an award-winning artist working across the art forms of photography, painting, tapestry, stained glass, written word, and film. Originally focused on fashion photography when he began his career almost 20 years ago, Heck has expanded the range of his oeuvre beyond still imagery to meld and embellish his original works into other genres on his own and in collaboration with other artists including Tilda Swinton, Kiki Smith, Lawrence Weiner, and other art world notables. His work, which explores the boundaries of nature, color, craftsmanship, and the human form, appears globally in editorial, advertising, gallery shows, and books.

Magazines featuring his work include Harper’s Bazaar UK for which he has shot 22 covers, The New York Times Magazine (five covers), TIME Magazine (three covers), GQ, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, M Magazine Le Monde, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Numéro, Paper Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Stern Mode. His portrait subjects include Adele, President Joe Biden, Taylor Swift, Roger Federer, Nicki Minaj, Natalie Portman, Ravi Coltrane, Laura Dern, Future, Ellsworth Kelly, and Frances Tiafoe, among others.

His advertising work includes long-time collaborations and commissions for Van Cleef & Arpels, Comme des Garçons, Thom Browne, Fendi, Gucci, Nike, Sotheby's, Carolina Herrera, Ann Demeulemeester, The Metropolitan Opera, Neiman Marcus, and Etro. Seven books of his work have been published including two from Thames and Hudson.

Vince Aletti is a critic and curator living in the East Village. He was the Art Editor and Photography Critic at the Village Voice for nearly 20 years until 2005, when he began reviewing photography shows for the New Yorker's Goings on About Town section. He continues to write for the New Yorker, Acne Paper, and Aperture magazine. In 2019, Phaidon published his book Issues: A History of Photography in Fashion Magazines. In 2023, The Drawer won the Aperture/Paris Photo Photo Book of the Year award.

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