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McEnroe / Borg

Brooklyn, New York – 2023

Half of the proceeds will go towards John McEnroe’s philanthropic endeavours.

All prints are on 315gsm Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper and varnished after processing to give both endurance and sheen. Each is signed, dated and numbered on the front. Price includes David Yarrow’s custom black ash frame, white archival matting and protective UV acrylic.

“Although they only played each other 14 times, McEnroe versus Borg became one of the most celebrated rivalries in the history of sport and New York played the lead role in its final denouement. When McEnroe defeated Borg in four sets in the US Open Final of 1981 at Flushing Meadows, Borg left the stadium immediately and never played in a major tournament again. He was just 25 years old.

The late 1970s and early 1980s were heady days for the US Open. New York was rocking to a disco beat and American men and women dominated the higher seedings. In the latter stages of the men’s tournament, McEnroe would often face fellow countrymen such as Jimmy Connors and Vitas Gerulaitis. McEnroe and Gerulaitis – both New Yorkers and good friends – were known to head for Studio 54 once their night matches were over at Flushing Meadows.

My plan was to celebrate this era by hosting a little gathering on a New York subway car from the same period. The way to do this was to hire the New York Transit Museum for the day and dress one of the period cars as if it were 1981. I had my lead in the wonderfully unique John McEnroe; a formidable and gritty New Yorker who wears a subway look with ease. I asked him to bring his guitar which, of course, like a tennis racket, he plays left-handed and plays well.

Today’s McEnroe was joined on his subway ride by characters all styled in the same era. Borg was a necessary extra somewhere in the carriage and we found a strong look alike. He was joined by a couple of Pan Am stewardesses and then, of course, it being New York, we had to make reference to the Village People. The final piece of the jigsaw was the subway adverts on the left and my team did a fine job finding the McEnroe Nike advert.

That would have been one hell of a journey on the subway. Whatever John McEnroe’s journey from here, it will be on his own terms and will be pursued with the intensity that has characterized his storied career. To be number one in the world for 170 weeks is the mark of a fiercely competitive character. It was an honour to spend time with him.”

AVAILABLE SIZES:

Medium: Archival Pigment Print

LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP

Image Size: 56” x 84” in (142.24 cm x 213.4 cm)
Framed Image: 71” x 99” in (180.34 cm x 251.5 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP

Image Size: 37” x 56” in (93.98 cm x 142.2 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 71” (132.08 cm x 180.3 cm)

We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.

by admin

Cresta

St. Moritz, Switzerland – 2023

“What makes the Cresta Club in St Moritz unique is not the racetrack, or the setting, but its members. I knew from the moment that I undertook this project, that a single photograph would fail if I didn’t convey, not just a sense of place, or the sport itself, but a sense of “Club”.

The Cresta Club, officially known as the St Moritz Tobogganing Club, has been in existence since 1887 and remains one of St Moritz’s most exclusive institutions – and there are quite a few. It has a very British stamp to it and there is a sense ofbeing at an old boys reunion at Harrow, but it welcomes all nations and all characters. For what could be a rather stuffy golf club culture, it is defined by its lack of stuffiness. It is a Club where people have fun and refuse to grow up and surely that should always be applauded.

My dilemma was how to take a picture that was authentic, fun and told a story of its members. I needed the track and a rider, but I also needed the faces in the crowd. For safety reasons these subjects tend to be mutually exclusive.

The solution was for me to positioned just down the track from the start and roped in like a mountaineer so that I didn’t travel down the course on my backside with my cameras. I knew already how treacherous it is as I slipped in my early morning reconnaissance and lost a tooth. The Cresta Run is 3/4s of a mile of downhill sheet ice; start falling down the tunnel and you have a long way to go until you stop.

The Club was entertained by my planned position and graciously roped me in. I doubt a camera had ever had this angle before – well certainly not with a rider as glamorous as Frida Aasen on the skeleton. The members behind her were doing what they do best – enjoying the day.”

Available sizes

LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image size: 56" x 90" in (142.2 cm x 228.6 cm)
Framed Image: 71" x 105" in (180.3 cm x 266.7 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image size: 37" x 60" in (93.98 cm x 152.4 cm)
Framed Image: 52" x 75" in (132.1 cm x 190.5 cm)

by admin

Aspen - 1973

Aspen, Colorado – 2023

This is not just any ski resort; this is the unmistakable playground of Aspen – the most famous ski resort in the world and one where the slopes and the old silver mining town fuse as one. They look like they have co-existed seamlessly for centuries in much the same way as the golf course at St Andrews sits in harmony with the town that it made famous. The reality is, of course, that this photograph celebrates a far newer relationship than the marriage in Scotland, but both unions will continue in perpetuity, passed down from generation to generation. Aspen is a vortex of pleasure and misadventure few can escape from and this spectacular vista is part of its unique appeal.

Whatever lies ahead for Aspen, no generation will probably have more fun than the free loving hipsters of the 1970s who made the town a Bohemian hot spot. The once silver mining town, nestling at 9000 feet, became an unlikely Rock and Roll town drawing established and aspiring creatives from every corner of the United States. It may have been a growing haven for the Hollywood elite, but it welcomed talent and bad behaviour more than it did wealth. I have a sense that in the 1970s Aspen was as loosely governed as it was back in 1880 when it was a frontier mining town, that would be quite an achievement.

The model – Kate Bock – reminds me a little of Heather Graham in Austin Powers in this throwback shot, taken late one winter afternoon from Hunter Creek Road. She plays a confident hippy, flying solo with ease and was made for this kind of shot. Meanwhile, the yellow of the Porsche works well against the flat winter light. We knew this story was best told in colour.