Luke Smalley (June 6, 1955 – May 17, 2009) was an American photographer known for capturing boys in adolescence and as a talented art director famous for creating "playful images that explored the intersections between fashion and masculinity". His work, which pairs a coolly minimalist aesthetic with a retro nostalgia, centers around his tongue-in-cheek take on the journey for truth inside the lives of small town youth, especially athletic, all-American, young men. Many of the photographs are homoerotic, yet sexually ambivalent and never perverse. Images from his earlier collections were inspired by fitness manuals and yearbooks . This is not surprising since Smalley graduated with a degree in sports medicine from

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

and worked for a number of years as a model and personal trainer. Smalley shot his artistic portraits in his home state of Pennsylvania. He used real high school athletes as models, who engaged in unusual competitions reinvented by the photographer, who also designed and crafted some of the outfits and equipments.

Early life

Smalley was born on June 6, 1955, to parents Thomas J. Smalley Sr. and Julia Svatosky Smalley in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He graduated from Rice Avenue Union High School in 1973. Following high school, he attended

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...

and

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

, before graduating with a degree in sports medicine from

. For the next several years, he worked as a model and personal trainer in California. His true love was photography, and he eventually became an independent

Fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

and

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

photographer.

Work

Smalley attained some notoriety outside of leading men's-wear image makers, and his commercial photography has appeared in both mainstream and niche market publications. He frequently collaborated and was friends with British designer Kim Jones. His art photography frequently featured the northwestern Pennsylvania town he called home until his death. He had gallery showings on both coasts and had four books of his photography published. After Smalley's sudden death the Smalley Partnership was formed for the purpose of continuing Luke Smalley's photographic legacy. The art gallery ClampArt, in the Chelsea district of New York City, currently represents the efforts of the Smalley Partnership
ClampArt

Clients

Smalley's photographs were used by: * ''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

'' *

American Eagle Outfitters American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., also known as American Eagle, is an American lifestyle, clothing, and accessories retailer headquartered at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by brothers Jerry and Mark Silverma ...

* ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''T: The New York Times Style Magazine'' * ''

Tokion ''Tokion'' was a Japanese-based magazine covering art, fashion, music and film first published in Japan in 1996, followed by United States, UK, and Hong Kong editions. The magazine's makers also produced the annual Creativity Now Conference, a wee ...

'' They also appeared in several progressive men's fashion publications: * ''

Another Man Another or variant may refer to: * anOther or Another Magazine, culture and fashion magazine * ''Another'' (novel), a Japanese horror novel ** ''Another'' (film), a Japanese 2012 live-action film based on the novel * Another River, a river in the ...

'' * ''

Arena Homme + ''Arena Homme +'' is a fashion magazine for men published biannually since 1994. The first issue was published in Spring/Summer 1994.Dazed & Confused'' * ''Ten'' Magazine * '' V'' and '' VMAN'' magazines * ''

Vogue Hommes International ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vogue ...

Bibliography

* ** According to Smalley, "The photographs in the gymnasium were taken primarily in western Pennsylvania between 1988 and 2000, though many people looking at them think their quirky compositions date them from the turn of the 20th century. When editing and sequencing the book, I wanted to resist any antique design conceits and, instead, present the images in a clean and direct manner." ** His first book, ''Gymnasium'' was selected by

AIGA The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity ...

as one of the bes
50 Books/50 Covers
in 2001. ** He used real athletes from various

and

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

high schools to act out a series of scenarios. The young athletes wore period outfits, used vintage equipment, and competed in unique competitions. Smalley crafted some of the outfits and equipment, taking care to design them with an authentic antique feel. * ** British menswear designer, Kim Jones, remembers collaborating with Smalley: "I remember shooting in an old Amish village with Luke during the winter — I think it must have been 15 degrees. The model, Ambrose Olsen, was freezing and shaking in the cold — he later told me that he wouldn’t have done it for anyone else except Luke because he was such a great guy." He continued, "Luke cared so much about everything in his work that everyone involved wanted to make anything happen for him. He was such a great talent who was underestimated by many, but I’m sure future generations will appreciate everything he’s done." * ** Smalley revisits themes of adolescent growing pains acted out under the guise of earnest athleticism. He painstakingly coordinated the creation of the work, often making his own athletic equipment, props, and costumes. Instead of the anachronistic, turn-of-the-century black-and-white photos in ''Gymnasium'', this book features all new color photos taken in northwestern Pennsylvania. * ** According to the publisher, "Girls left behind. Guys making bad choices. In his third book… photographer Luke Smalley continues his journey for truth inside the lives of small town youth. This poignant photo novella tells the story of consequence when innocence takes a wrong turn. Girls getting ready, girls getting anxious. Boys bored. Wide-eyed, raw off the football field. As in his past volumes, humor pervades: the sobering boys' plight is juxtaposed at Smalley's bemusement of the girls' preoccupation of what to wear."

Exhibitions

* 2002, Wessel + O’Connor Gallery, New York City, ''Gymnasium'' * November 29, 2007 – February 2, 2008, Wessel + O’Connor Gallery,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, ''Exercise at Home'' * October 25–November 6, 2008, The David Gallery, Los Angeles, California, ''Exercise at Home'' * November 5 - December 19, 2009, ClampArt, New York City, ''Sunday Drive: A Memorial Exhibition'' * April 2 – May 9, 2015, ClampArt, New York City, ''Luke Smalley: Retrospective'' * November 29, 2018 – January 19, 2019, ClampArt, New York City, ''Luke Smalley: Exercise at Home''

Death

Smalley died unexpectedly on Sunday, May 17. 2009 at the age of 53. He is survived by two sisters, three brothers, four nieces, and four nephews. He is buried in St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church cemetery in Girard, Pennsylvania.