Houston - Portrait Photography

Black and white photograph of a nude Marilyn Monroe taken by Tom Kelly in 1949. The work was distributed as calender art and one was featured in an issue of Playboy magazine in 1953. The photograph is not framed. Artist Biography: Kelley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He learned photography as an apprentice in a New York photo studio, and then worked for the Associated Press and Town & Country magazine. After coming to California in 1935, Kelley established a photography studio in Hollywood and produced promotional photographs of motion picture stars. David O. Selznick and Samuel Goldwyn retained Kelley to take promotional photos of their stars and starlets for magazine covers and advertising. Later, Kelley's business shifted to commercial and advertising photography. Some of Kelley's most famous photo subjects have included Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Winston Churchill, Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Jack Benny, David Bowie, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Yma Sumac and, of course, Marilyn Monroe, with and without clothes. Tom Kelley had a way of making his subjects feel comfortable behind the camera. He would bring his wife with him to his shoots to create a more soothing and relaxed atmosphere. Kelley served on the panel of judges at the Miss Universe...

Silver gelatin photograph of a close up superimposed portraits by photographer Layet, circa 1950. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Archival pl...

Hand colored silver gelatin photograph by Houston, TX artist Jim Reitz. The work features a man casually leaning against a building and looking at the camera...

Contemporary photograph on collotype by Houston, TX artist Delilah Montoya. Photograph shows a young woman wearing a dress and a shawl over her head. The photographed subject holds an infant, a visual reminiscent of the Madonna and Child. The same subject, while surrounded by lit candles, sits against a graffiti backdrop with the word "time" in the bottom left standing out. She looks directly at the camera, confronting the viewer's inquisitive gaze. Titled, signed, and dated by artist. Framed and matted in a red and gold wooden frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 17.25 in. x W 16.125 in. Artist Biography: Although she was born in Texas and lived in Nebraska into her twenties, photographer and printmaker Delilah Montoya has deep roots in northern New Mexico through her mother's family. Raised by her mother, Montoya observes that women have empowered her family for five generations. Montoya studied photography and printmaking at the University of New Mexico, where she received her bachelor's degree, master's degree, and master of fine arts. She works in a variety of two-dimensional photographic and printing processes as well as creating larger installations. The artist describes her approach as postmodernist and uses documentary strategies to interpret her own distinct vision. Politically, Montoya is committed to exploring issues of identity in terms of a Chicano cultural context:"In my own evolving ideology I question my identity as a Chicana in occupied America, and articulate the experience of the minority woman. I work to understand the depth of my spiritual, political, emotional and cultural icons, realizing that in exploring the topography of my conceptual homeland, Aztlan, I am searching for the configuration of my own vision. " (Montoya n.d.) Montoya is committed to the expression of Chicana experience and history, but she does not consider herself as a feminist. Indeed, Montoya rejects identification as a United States-style feminist because she believes that "Feminists don't give us solidarity. As a Chicana my issues are multifaceted, not just gender, but class, race. " The border, for Montoya, is a politically imposed construct, a part of a United States colonialist enterprise that was forced upon the Chicano community. It is the environment in which Chicano life and history unfolds. Montoya's work explores contemporary and historical issues, sometimes win a humorous twist. Her artist's book for the 1992 Chicano Codices exhibition organized by the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, Codex Delilah: a Journey From Mechica to Chicana (including text by poet Cecilio Garcia-Camarillo), traces the imaginary journey of Six Deer, a character who embodies the contact between indigenous and Spanish culture in her trip "pal norte" towards Aztlan, the "spiritual homeland of her ancestors." As she journeys to the north, the character also journeys forward in time, meeting important Chicanas from the past, including La Llorona...

High quality photograph by artist Hector Hernandez. The work is of a cloaked figure dressed in green posing in a warehouse. The photograph is framed i...

Black and white photograph of the iconic American folk and pop music group that launched in the late 1950's to the late 1960's. The photograph is not fram...

This Oleg Dou work is a 63 x 47 inch digitally rendered C-print which has been face mounted on acrylic. It was printed in 2015, and is one of eight editions. This soft and somber ima...

Classic Americana c-print photograph of a vintage bell hop sign in Noel, MO by Houston, TX artist Amy Blakemore. The photo features a central sign in ...

This Oleg Dou work is a 47 x 47 inch digitally rendered C-print which has been face mounted on acrylic. It was printed in 2012, and is one of eight editions. In this image, a figure ...

This Oleg Dou work is a 63 x 47 inch digitally rendered C-print which has been face mounted on acrylic. It was printed in 2015, and is one of eight editions. Oleg Dou’s use of metaph...

This Oleg Dou work is a 63 x 47 inch digitally rendered C-print which has been face mounted on acrylic. It was printed in 2015, and is one of eight editions. Dou’s use of metaphor an...

This Oleg Dou work is a 47 x 47 inch digitally rendered C-print which has been face mounted on acrylic. It was printed in 2008, and is one of eight editions. In Ronald 2, Dou uses fi...

This Oleg Dou work is a 63 x 47 inch digitally rendered C-print which has been face mounted on acrylic. It was printed in 2015, and is one of eight editions. This vignette of an idea...

This Oleg Dou work is a 63 x 47 inch digitally rendered C-print which has been face mounted on acrylic. It was printed in 2015, and is one of eight editions. Characterized by a singl...

Upon closer inspection of this work, one notices the intimation of a mask being present over the figure’s face, as well as patches over the eyes. Here Dou subtly examines notions of ...

Artist Details: Pierre Porretti 2001 Matted and Framed Original Hand-colored, Signed Photographic Print 12 x 16 Inches

Artist Details: Pierre Porretti "Fisherman" 1991 Matted and Framed Original Hand-colored, Signed Photographic Print 12 x 16 Inches

Artist Details: Pierre Porretti "Dancers at Pavilion" 1995 Matted and Framed Original Hand-colored, Signed Photographic Print 12 x 16 Inches

Artist Details: Pierre Porretti "Girl Flute Player" 2000 Matted and Framed Original Hand-colored, Signed Photographic Print 12 x 16 Inches

Artist Details: Pierre Porretti "Aris and Cat" 1991 Matted and Framed Original Hand-colored, Signed Photographic Print 16 x 12 Inches

Edited photo of a young girl in sepia tones with 3 and a half stars written across her forehead. Artist Biography: Born in Guatemala in 1957, he lives and...