Sensual Male Flamenco Dancers at Throckmorton Fine Art

Ruven Afanador Gabriel Moginot New York City, NY 2013 Selenium Toned Gelatin Silver Print 20 x 24 in. Edition 2 of 25 Signed & numbered in pencil on verso

Colombian photographer Ruven Afanador’s stylized photographs of male flamenco dancers and their mystical world are the subject of a new show at Throckmorton Fine Art. The New York show, which opens on November 6, is the first stop on a multi-continent tour.

The photographs are taken from Afanador’s new book, Ángel Gitano–The Men of Flamenco, published this month by Rizzoli.

“We are thrilled to be the first to show the extraordinary images in the stunning new book, Ángel Gitano–The Men of Flamenco,” gallerist Spencer Throckmorton said in a statement. “Ruven has a unique point of view and these powerful, provocative photographs underscore his ability to delight and seduce viewers with their passionate depiction of the musical world of flamenco.” The photos are the latest in a series the fashion photographer is doing on flamenco, and follows up on the publication of his second book, Mil Besos, in 2009, which featured women.

Afanador’s work continues a focus on el ángel—a common theme present in the works of other prominent artists who, like Afanador, use the Spanish language as a large source of their influence.

Ruven’s work has been likened to Salvador Dalì’s surreal imagery and the magical realist literature of Gabriel García Márquez.

Diane Keaton, who authored the book’s introduction, credited Afanador with giving her “the liberty to immerse myself in a world where strangely beautiful men wearing two-foot-high black wigs stand on stilts while they sing and dance in polka-dot ties, with striped pants.”

Ruven Afanador: Ángel Gitano: The Men of Flamenco will be on view at Throckmorton’s East 57th Street location through the end of February.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.
Article topics