Bill Beckley
Born in Pennsylvania, United States, 1946
Bill Beckley has been widely recognized as an important photographer for more than three decades, both in the United States and abroad. Born in Hamburg, Pennsylvania in 1946, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kutztown State University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Beckley achieved recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1979. He also served on the New York Council of the Arts in 1973, 1976 and 1986. He was awarded a grant from the prestigious Pollack-Krasner Foundation in 1997. Since that time, his work has been placed numerous prestigious collections, including that of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Guggenheim Museum in New York, as well as the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Education
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, B.F.A.
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, M.F.A.
Academe
Instructor, School of Visual Arts – 1970 to present
Lectures in: Semiotics, film and literature, the
philosophy of beauty
Instructor, New York University Graduate School: 1986
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2018
Frieze New York, Bill Beckley: The Eighties, Randall’s Island, NY
Elements of Romance, Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
The Name of the Rose, Studio G7, Bologna, Italy
After the Orgies: Bill Beckley Works 1980s-90s, Albertz Benda, New York, NY
2016
Bill Beckley: Elements of Romance – Works from the Seventies, Studio Trisorio, Naples, Italy
2015
Bill Beckley: The Accidental Poet (The Avoidance of Everything), Albertz Benda, New York, NY
2014
An Answer from the Silence, Silvan Faessler Fine Art GmbH, Zug, Switzerland
2013
Bill Beckley: Facts (Fuck) I Love You, Friedman Benda, New York, NY Flag Attempts, Art Basel, Galerie Hans Mayer, Basel, Switzerland Retrospective, Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
2011
Alternative Histories, Exit Art, New York, NY
P420 Arte Contemporanea e Libri, Bologna, Italy
Galerie Hans Mayer, Dusseldorf, Germany
Sammlung Hoffmann, Berlin, Germany
2010
ArteFiera, Studio Trisorio, Napoli/Rome, Italy
New Works: Haben Gegenstände ein Gedächtnis, Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
Retrospective: “Etcetera”, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
Rosenbaum Contemporary, Art Basel, Miami Beach, FL
2008
Chelsea Space, in conjunction with the Tate Gallery, London, UK
2004
Studio Trisorio, Rome, Italy
Studio Trisorio, Rome, Italy
2003
Gallery Park, Ryu-Sook, Seoul, Korea
2001
Fourteen Stations, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY
New Works, Galerie Hans Mayer, Berlin, Germany
2000
Selected works 1970-1999, John Gibson Gallery, New York
1999
Anouk Tache and Carole Levy Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
1998
Galerie Milano, Milan, Italy
Galeria Trisorio, Naples, Italy
Galerie Hans Mayer, Dusseldorf, Germany
1997
John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
1996
Ace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1995
Five Easy Pieces, Ace Gallery, New York, NY
1994
Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
Foundation Chateau de Jau, Cases de Penes, France
1993
Galeria Pedro Oliveira, Porto, Portugal
1992
On The Road To Ra, American Opera Projects, New York, NY
Galleria Trisorio, Naples, Italy
1991
John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
Drawings, Ace Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles
1990
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, France
1989
Galleria Milano, Milan, Italy
Studio G-7, Bologna, Italy
1987
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
1986
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, France
John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
Galleria Trisorio, Naples, Italy
1984
Freidus/Ordover Gallery, New York, NY
Retrospective, Stadtisches Museum, Monchengladbach, Germany
1983
John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
1982
Studio Canaviello, Milan, Italy
Bonlow Gallery, New York
1981
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, France
Marian Desson Gallery, Chicago, IL
International Center of Photography, New York, NY
Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, NY
1980
Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London, UK
Galerie Loyse Oppenheim, Geneva, Switzerland
1979
Galerie Vera Munro, Hamburg, Germany
Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London, UK
Galerie Denise Rene Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
1978
Studio G7, Bologna, Italy
Galerie Denise Rene, Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
Art in Progress, Munich, Germany
1977
Galerie Daniel T emplon, Paris, France
Galerie Denise Rene, Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany
Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London, UK
1976
Galleria d'Allesandro, Ferranti, Rome, Italy
John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
Galleria Lucio Amelio, Naples, Italy
1975
Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France
Galerie Patrick Verelst - Marc Poitier dit Caulier, Antwerp, Belgium Steinway Hall, New York, NY
Galleria Francoise Lambert, Milan, Italy
Gallery 20, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1974
Gallery 20, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Francoise Lambert, Milan, Italy
John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
1973
John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London, UK
Galerie Konrad Fischer, Düsseldorf, Germany
1972
98 Greene Street, Holly Solomon, New York, NY
112 Greene Street Gallery, New York, NY
Gallery 20, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Galerie
Rudolf Zwirner, Cologne, Germany
Galleria Francoise Lambert, Milan, Italy
1971
93 Grand Street, New York, NY
1969
Wabash Transit Gallery, Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL
Selected Exhibitions
2017-2018
Narrative Art, Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, France
2015
Art on Camera: Photographs by Shunk-Kender, 1960-1971, MoMA, New York, NY
2014-2015
Bad Thoughts – Collection Martjiin and Jeannette Sanders, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2013
Color, Andrae Kaufmann Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Galerie Hans Mayer, Dusseldorf, Germany
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music, Friedman Benda, New York, NY
2011
Narration works of 1970 by Bill Beckley, Peter Hutchinson and Franco Vaccari, P420 Arte Contemporanea e Libri, Bologna, Italy
112 Greene Street: A Nexus of Ideas in the Early 70s, Salomon Contemporary, New York, NY
2010
Alternative Histories, Exit Art, New York
2004
Behind the Facts, 1968-1974 (curated by Gloria Maure), Miro Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
Behind the Facts, 1968-1974 (curated by Gloria Maure), Servalles Museum, Porto, Portugal
Behind the Facts, 1968-1974, (curated by Gloria Maure), Miro Foundation, Kassel, Germany
Four Artists, Dorfman Projects, New York
2002
Made in USA: Keith Haring, Robert Longo, Kenny Scharf, Bill Beckley, Ludwig Galerie, Schloss Oberhausen, Germany
Art Downtown (curated by Richard Marshal), New York, NY
1968-1977, L’art en Cause, Capo Musée dart Contemporain de Bordeaux, France
2000
Critic as Grist (curated by Michael Portnoy and Marianne Vitale), White Box Gallery, New York
Narrative, Studio G7, Bologna
Sammlung Hoffman, Berlin
Daimler-Benz collection, Berlin
1999
Sammlung Falckenberg Museum de bildenden Kunst, Leipzig, Germany
17 Contemporary Artists from America, Italy and Mexico, The Menile
Collection, Huston, Texas
Heroines and Heroes, Cynthia Broan Gallery, New York
Americans in France, The Fish Market, Perpignan, France
1998
Fotoz, Siquieros Koll Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Project Plans, John Gibson Gallery, New York, NY
1979
Projects Room, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Whitney Biennial, New York, NY
1977
American Narrative/Story Art: 1967 – 1977, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas
1976
Documenta, Kassel, Germany
1975
Venice Biennal, Venice, Italy
1973
Paris Biennale, Paris, France
National Imagery: Beckley, Ruscha, Warhol, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Literature/ Publications
Editorial Director of Aesthetics Today (1995 to present); a series of books on contemporary issues in aesthetics, published by Allworth Press and The School of Visual Arts, New York City which includes the following books:
2000
Bill Beckley, ‘Sticky Sublime’, INTroduction for Sticky Sublime, Allworth Press, and the School of Visual Arts, New York
Bill Beckley, ‘All Names have Been Changed to Protect the Innocent’,
Afterword of Dialectic of Decadence, by Donald Kuspit, Allworth Press, New York
1999
Bill Beckley, ‘Sublimitas Mobilist’, Introduction to Beauty and the Contemporary Sublime, by Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, Allworth Press, and the School of Visual Arts, New York
Bill Beckley, ‘Doubting Thomas’, Introduction to Sculpture in the Age of Doubt, by Thomas McEvilley, Allworth Press, and the School of Visual Arts, New York
1998
Tony Godfrey, Conceptual Art, Phaidon Press, London
Bill Beckley, ‘The Beginning of the Art World,’ Introduction to The End of the Art World, by Robert C. Morgan, Allworth Press, and the School of Visual Arts, New York
1997
Bill Beckley, ‘Generosity and the Black Swan’, Introduction to Uncontrollable Beauty(Edited by Bill Beckley), Allworth Press, and the School of Visual Arts, New York
Awards
Pollock-Krasner Grant, 1997
New York Council of the Arts, 1986
National Endowment of the Arts, 1979
New York Council of the Arts, 1976
New York Council of the Arts, 1973
Selected Public Collections
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (3 works)
The Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (4 works)
The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY (2 works)
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, MA. (3 works)
Sammlung Hoffmann, Berlin, Germany (70 works)
La Jolla Museum, San Diego, CA (MCASD)
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Musee Ceret, France
Basel Kunst Museum, Switzerland
Monchengladbach Museum, Germany
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Musee d'art Moderne et Contemporain, Geneva, Switzerland
Selected Private Collections
Sol LeWitt, Connecticut
Jeff Koons, New York, NY
Morton Neuman collection, Chicago, IL
Dolores Neumann, New York, NY
Ed Downe, New York, NY
Holly Solomon, New York, NY
Hans Mayer, Dusseldorf, Germany
Norman Dubrow, New York, NY
Lise Toubon, Paris, France
Carla Pelligrini, Milan, Italy
David and Lindsey Shapiro, New York, NY
Douglas Christmas, Los Angeles, CA
Daimler Benz, Stuttgart, Germany
Sylvian Perlstein, Belgium
George Waterman, New York, NY
Gerhard and Lydia Hanske, Essen, Germany
Isy Brachot, Brussels, Belgium
Rolf Krass, Stuttgart, Germany
Klaus Wolf, Essen, Germany
Kamran Diba, Paris, France
Sabine and Bernard Duare, Perpignan, France
Francesco Pellizi, New York
Dr. P. Rau, Berlin, Germany
DG Bank, Frankfort, Germany
Chase Manhattan, New York, NY
David Quinn, London, England
Yvon Lambert, Paris, France
Ruth and Jake Bloom, Los Angeles, CA
Esther Gruthen, Basel, Switzerland
Richard Oudenhuysen, The Netherlands
Lectures/Symposiums
1998
Interview: On Recent Art with David Shapiro, MSG TV, New York, October Lecture: On recent work, University of the Arts Napoli, Naples, Italy, May Symposium "Uncontrollable Beauty" with Wendy Steiner, Lillie Wei, and Bill Beckley, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Nov.
Keynote speaker: Discussion on Art and Design Theory affiliated with the 1998 International Association of Art and Design Schools, General Assembly New York - (founded in the Bauhaus, Dessau) October Symposium 'Uncontrollable Beauty' with Arthur Danto, Peter Schjeldahl, Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, and Bill Beckley at the School of Visual Arts, New York, May
1984
Symposium: On Art and Language with Benjamin Buchloh, Martha Rossler, David Shapiro, and Bill Beckley, School of Visual Arts
1982
Lecture: On recent work: Princeton University
1979
Symposium: On Narrative Art, University of Calgary, Canada, with Mac Adams and Jim Collins
1973
Lecture: On Narrative Art: Royal College of Art: London