NICHOLAS TAYLOR

Nicholas (Nick) Taylor (American, b. 1953) is a renowned photographer and musician. Taylor moved to New York in 1977 to pursue a career as a photographer and it was through the vibrant New York art scene that he came to know the artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was, in fact, his intimate portfolio of photographs documenting his friendship with Basquiat that rocketed Taylor to fame. The two would collaborate in the No Wave band “Gray” before Taylor launched a successful career as a DJ famous for track-looping. His track “Suicide Mode” would later be used in the soundtrack for Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film “Basquiat.” 

Taylor’s photographs have been featured in countless publications related to Basquiat. Of recent note, Taylor’s work has been exhibited as part of the Basquiat: Boom For Real exhibition at the Barbican Centre London and the Museum of the City of New York. 

Taylor currently resides in New York City continuing to produce new music for Gray.

FERNANDO NATALICI

Born in Brazil in 1949, moved to New York in 1972. Natalici's iconic photography of the East Village art scene in the late 70's and early 80's includes sought after images of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Keith Haring, Blondie, The Ramones and more. In 1976 and 1977 Natalici was hired as Art Director and Still photographer of Amos Poe's two seminal, underground Manhattan art films, "Unmade Beds" & "The Foreigner."

As an Art Director, Fernando played a key role in designing for historic venues such as CBGB's, The Mudd Club, Area and Danceteria.  Natalici's photos of Keith Haring’s early years were recently cataloged by the Keith Haring Foundation, with his art design for Jean-Michel Basquiat having been profiled in Art in America.  As a master printer & photo consultant, Fernando played a pivotal role in helping Venice Biennial artist Vik Muniz develop his Met exhibited Memory Rendering Series.

Most recently, Fernando’s work has been featured in the Jeffrey Deitch curated show & book of the same title, “Area”— at The Hole Gallery in NYC— with his film stills from the 70’s presently exhibited at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of The Arts.

LENI SINCLAIR

Leni Sinclair fled from communist East Germany when she was 18 years old and made her way to Detroit, Michigan, where she enrolled at Wayne State University. In 1964, Sinclair co-founded the Detroit Artists Workshop and began photographing avant-garde jazz artists like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk. During this time, Leni married fellow student John Sinclair and continued to be heavily involved in the counter culture revolution by photographing bands such as the MC5, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and many more.

Leni Sinclair helped organize the “Free John Sinclair” concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1971, headlined by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Bob Seger, and Stevie Wonder where John Lennon performed his song, “John Sinclair” about Leni’s husband. Leni Sinclair’s historically iconic photos of Detroit’s counter-cultural movement and important place in Rock history have appeared in countless newspapers, magazines, books, LP and CD covers over the years.