The 1980s was arguably the most exciting time for artists in Downtown New York, and photographer Jeannette Montgomery Barron was there to capture so many of the big names from that lush and fertile era, including Warhol, Haring, Basquiat, and Sherman.

Her black and white images from her series Scene are timeless; it’s hard to believe that these remarkable portraits were taken over 30 years ago, often in the artists’ own environments – their apartments, a studio, or on the city streets.

“Artist Portraits from the 80s”, which showcases the images that made the photographer a name in New York’s downtown art scene during the times of the Factory. In a sense, the collection of up-close-and-personal portraits of artists, models, and culture-makers evoke the air of persistence and defiance. Barroncaptured a plethora of art revolutionaries: Keith Harring, Jenny Holzer, Francesco Clemente, Bianca Jagger, and Andy Warhol, among others, during trying times that were both political and personal. The inspiration to show these portraits stems from younger generations’ “romanticized” view of the ’80s. But it’s also an indirect response to modern life, its culture, politics, and the first three months of 2020.

Montgomery Barron was one of those “daring young things”. The series could almost be seen as a diary of her life during that fascinating decade – from her spilling out into the city streets at dawn following a night at Mudd Club or the Palladium to lunches at Andy Warhol’s Factory to visits to the gym with Bianca Jagger.

Her first portrait was of Francesco Clemente, which led to one of Andy Warhol and then pictures of friends Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. That was the turning point in her career when she began to capture all the icons of that time: Cindy Sherman, William Burroughs, Sandro Chia, Jenny Holzer, Robert Mapplethorpe, Kathryn Bigelow – to name a few.

Keith Haring, N.Y.C., 1985 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron. All images courtesy of the artist and Patrick Parrish Gallery

Cindy Sherman, N.Y.C., 1986 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Cindy Sherman, N.Y.C., 1986 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Rainer Fetting, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Rainer Fetting, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Sandro Chia © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Sandro Chia © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Jenny Holzer, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Jenny Holzer, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

The Starn Twins, Boston, Massachusetts, 1987 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
The Starn Twins, Boston, Massachusetts, 1987 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Mary Boone © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Mary Boone © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Salome, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Salome, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, N.Y.C., 1985 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, N.Y.C., 1985 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

George Condo © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
George Condo © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Bianca Jagger, N.Y.C., 1983 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Bianca Jagger, N.Y.C., 1983 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

David Salle, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
David Salle, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Julian Schnabel, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Julian Schnabel, N.Y.C., 1984 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Moira Drier © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Moira Drier © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Robert Mapplethorpe, N.Y.C., 1987 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Robert Mapplethorpe, N.Y.C., 1987 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

William Burroughs 1985 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
William Burroughs 1985 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Barbara Kruger © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Barbara Kruger © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Brice Marden © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Brice Marden © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Barbara Jakobson © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Barbara Jakobson © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

John Lurie, N.Y.C., 1982 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
John Lurie, N.Y.C., 1982 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Annette Lemieux © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Annette Lemieux © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Francesco Clemente, N.Y.C., 1982 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Francesco Clemente, N.Y.C., 1982 © Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Leo Castelli © Jeannette Montgomery Barron
Leo Castelli © Jeannette Montgomery Barron