SAN FRANCISCO—Charles Gatewood—a man best known for his photography, but who was also a writer, videographer, artist and educator—died Thursday, April 28. He was 73.
“Charles Gatewood has been my best friend, mentor, and closest confidant,” said his girlfriend, Eva Marie. “He believed in me always, offering support and encouragement with unconditional love and kindness. Thank you, Charles, for every laugh, story, smile, and most of all, thank you for loving me.”
Known as “the anthropologist of the forbidden,” Gatewood was a photographer for Skin and Ink magazine (1998-2010) and produced more than 30 documentaries about body modification, fetish fashion and more. He was considered the premier documentarian of alternative culture in San Francisco, listing Carol Queen, Annie Sprinkle, Ron Turner and several others as his subjects.
He documented sexual underground and alternative subcultures dating back to the 1960s. He also produced a few adult movies, including Whipped & Shaved/Bloodbath Erotic Blood Rituals and Erotic Tattooing & Body Piercing Vol. 5.
Born Nov. 8, 1942, in Elgin, Ill., Gatewood was the son of John Jay Gatewood and Clarene Hall Gatewood. He grew up in Rolla and Springfield, Mo., and he attended the University of Missouri, majoring in anthropology and minoring in art history. Gateway credited a 1964 meeting with photographer George W. Gardner and a Museum of Modern Art photography book The Family of Man as influences on his decision to pursue a career in photography.
On April 29, 1966, Gatewood photographed the concert and pre-concert press conference of musician Bob Dylan. One photograph, "Dylan With Sunglasses and Cigarette," was syndicated and received worldwide publication; it was Gatewood's first sale and first published picture.
"Taking the Bob Dylan photo gave me faith I could actually be a professional photographer," said Gatewood.
Since then, his 50-year journey as a photojournalist and fine art photographer has seen him work on assignment for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Harper’s, Time, and other national publications. His images have been compared to those of Diane Arbus, Robert Frank and Weegee, and have featured various subjects, including Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr., Rod Stewart, Carlos Santana, Boz Scaggs, Joan Baez, Al Green, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Andy Warhol, Nelson Rockefeller, Allen Ginsberg and other Beat generation writers, Annie Sprinkle, Fakir and others.
“Chaz was a close friend, mentor, and sometimes collaborator since 1982,” said Annie Sprinkle. “He was enormously talented, a very influential photographer, and he lived his life as art. A lot of folks in the tattooing, piercing, music, BDSM, and sex worker communities are enormously grateful for the treasure trove of images he made of us, and are much relieved that UC Berkeley will preserve his archive. He will live on in my heart and my clit.”
“I worked with Chaz from 2008 to 2010, but you couldn’t really call it ‘work’—our interaction was always full of fun and play,” said Kelly Shibari. “I’m forever grateful to him for all he has taught me about the nature of entertainment, of baring your soul, of throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks, and having no regrets. I will always love you, Chaz—the industry has lost a great cultural icon and trailblazer today, but you will live on forever in your work, and in our hearts.”
Once the toothpaste is out of the tube—An art apart: Charles Gatewood is a one-hour documentary about Gatewood’s life, creative process and love of photography. Earlier this year, Vice.com published some of his works in advance of a show at San Francisco’s Ladybug House. For more of his work, visit CharlesGatewood.com.
The Gatewood Archive contains several thousand vintage and modern silver prints, 250,000 slides and negatives, plus contact sheets, proof prints, personal papers, correspondence, over a thousand books, and special collections. The archive also contains master edits of 36 Gatewood videos, plus three films (including a copy of Dances Sacred and Profane) and a selection of prints by other fine art photographers.
Of his work, Charles Gatewood said in 2009, “I’m kind of restless, in that I want to try all of the different styles, different subjects… then let history sort it out. I don’t know what some future historian might think is my best work, and I don’t care. It’s my job to make it… let somebody else sort it all out later.”
In addition to his girlfriend, Gatewood is survived by a sister. A memorial service is currently being scheduled to be held at the Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco; more information will be forthcoming.
