In New York of the 1980s art was happening on the streets and in the clubs. Artists, critics, collectors, dealers, and curators were all attracted to the city of contrasts. They formed a vibrant art community and became the favored subjects of the omnipresent photographer, Tom Warren.

Warren captured New York’s art scene through his lens during a legendary era when life was a blur and the process of creating art and being young and free was insepara­ble.

Warren — ubiquitous and always equipped with his camera — was invited to every enviable event, where he was not only documenting phenomenal moments, but also capturing the essence of the time. Today, he offers us a glimpse into this glorious, art-filled world and brings a bygone decade to life.

“And Tom Warren's sitters? A look around his Headshot World suggests that these individuals have brought their moods with them. Here's Richard Hambleton, dark-glassed, withdrawn, as was his wont, and Dan Asher, looking dour, as was also sometimes his wont, Mike Bidlo, likewise dark-glassed, a finger to his lips, a beaming MarilynMinter and the much-photographed Taylor Mead with a wry Here We Go Again look. Likewise, Robin Winters and Stephen Lack, both deeply serious, a grinning Mark Kostabi and the pixielike Judy Rifka.” – Anthony Haden-Guest, Faces in our crowd, in: Tom Warren: The 1980s Art Scene in New York – Portrait Studio / Visual Journal, Berlin 2021, 11-12.