See Inside Patrick McMullan’s Personal Photography Collection at Salomon Contemporary

Cait Munro July 1, 2015 ShareShare This Article

Photo: Salomon Contemporary.

Among the New York society set, Patrick McMullan is probably one of the most famous photographers alive. “If you don’t know Patrick McMullan, you ought to get out more!” Andy Warhol once said about his friend.

At 13 years old, he received his first Polaroid camera, which was a revelation. After picking up tips from Warhol when he was in his twenties, McMullan went on to basically invent party photography as it exists today; he can still be spotted manning the camera at chic galas, benefits, and, of course, Art Basel in Miami Beach.

He is said to have installed a microchip with his entire photo archive on it inside his mouth.

So given his prowess behind the lens, it’s a bit surprising that Salomon Contemporary’s “Patrick McMullan: Pictures” doesn’t focus on his own images.

Instead, it’s brimming with selections from his massive personal photography collection, which includes David LaChapelle, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Steven Klein, Peter Beard, Harry Benson, Mary Ellen Mark, Michael Thomson, Roe Ethridge, Jessica Craig-Martin, and Francesco Scavullo. There’s a few McMullan originals slipped in there for good measure, but the spotlight is largely pulled away the famed New York photographer.

Stacked haphazardly from floor to ceiling, the eclectic exhibition provides a rare glimpse of McMullan’s keen curatorial eye. “I love, and loved, photography for as long as I can remember,” told Forbes.