James Bidgood, Groundbreaking Gay Visual Artist, Dies @ 88
The artist and his vision (Images by Matthew Rettenmund & by James Bidgood) James Bidgood, a gay artist whose otherworldly creations were unique among beefcake photography, and who directed the queer classic Pink Narcissus (1971), has died at 88.
Portrait of the artist as a young pornographer (Image via James Bidgood) His death was announced on social media. A Wisconsinite, he moved to NYC at 18, where he supported himself with hustling, dabbled in drag and shot images considered to be pornographic.
Bidgood's obsession, Bobby Kendall (Image by James Bidgood) Studying at Parsons, he became a costumer and dress designer, but his real creativity was behind a camera.
In his tiny apartment, he used a cacophony of found materials and ingeniously crafted costumes to create imagery that was surreal, exploding with colors of his unique palette and uncompromisingly gay.
