David Haxton

David Haxton (b. 1943, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an artist who works primarily in Photography and Film. His films from the 1970’s and early 1980’s were made mostly in negative, with a static camera position, and were made in one take. In these films the space filmed is revealed gradually by a performer, while the intrinsic flatness of the illuminated screen is maintained.

In 1976 Haxton bought an 8×10 camera and started photographing the leftover sets from his films. The photographs are like the films, in that they take place in the studio. Haxton states that “The photographed set started in darkness and everything in the photograph was put there including light”. In the Art of Photography he states that, “the photographed set contains the residue of human activity, not unlike the drips in a Pollack painting”. David Haxton says that in general his photographs owe more to Man Ray than Cartier Bresson.

He has a BA degree in Art from the University of South Florida (1961-1965). He also has an MFA degree in painting from the University of Michigan (1965-67).

Haxton’s photographic works were first shown in a Solo exhibition at Sonnabend Paris, 1978. In the 1980’s the photographic works were shown at Sonnabend New York, The Whitney Biennial, and at venues in the US and Europe.

His most recent Solo exhibition was in April of 2019 at Fridman Gallery in New York. The exhibition titled -/+ included films and photographs. In February of 2018 Haxton presented an evening of films a…