Art Brewer (1951-2011), originally from California, grew up enjoying the ocean in all its facets: swimming, diving, surfing and fishing. Combining his love for the ocean and his passion for photography as a teenager, Art etched his name in the annals of surfing history and pop culture with a remarkable photography career spanning five decades . Getting his first photo published in Surfer Magazine at the age of fifteen, Art earned his first magazine cover at sixteen, marking the start of a career that would cement him as a pioneering surf photography legend.
While his surf photography has earned him worldwide fame and notoriety, his sports, portrait, commercial, underwater and travel photography have earned him prestige among critics and peers. His self-taught skills, coupled with the mentorship of renowned photographer Ansel Adams, laid the foundation for an extraordinary career that left an indelible mark on the world of photography.
Ses livres, dont « Masters of Surf Photography : Art Brewer » (The Surfers Journal, 2002) et « Bunker Spreckels : Surfing Divine Prince of Decadence (1949-1977) » (Taschen Books, 2007)
Website: https://artbrewer.com
Social Media : Instagram(@artbrewer)
Prints and sales: https://artbrewer.com/prints
Books on Blurb: https://www.blurb.com/b/1525827-bunker-volume-i
Jorge Salas et Jean Paul Van Swae answer the questions.
Jorge Salas is a photographer also living in Dana Point, he ended up there after Art asked him to move to Dana Point a few years after JS started assisting Art (1993-94) and today works with the archives of Art.
Jean Paul Van Swae is the son of an Art-era surfer and the grandson of Whitey Harrison, one of the men who brought us surfing back in the day. Art knew his entire family up to his grandfather. After returning to the mainland from Hawaii, he began dabbling in photography because it was somewhere in his blood. He eventually began working with Art several decades ago.
JP lives in Dana Point, was an assistant editor at Surfer magazine and is still a working photographer.
Patricia Lanza: How has Art influenced surfing and surf culture?
Salas : Art has documented surf culture for around 6 decades, he shared with us what surf culture is today. His images have helped make the world a little smaller, showing us the style, fashion and of course the surfers we all admire.
And every month we would run to the mailbox or newspaper stand to get our hands on the next surf magazine.
He brought it to us, we could read it, touch it and we could be part of his latest adventure if our imagination allowed it.
Whether we wanted to surf like one of our heroes or dress like them, it made it easier for us to see what they looked like, and it was there for us all to share, enjoy and take part.
Van Swae: Art was one of the creators of what surf culture is. He was there from the start. A bridge between the creators of the sport and the culture that exists today. The visual storyteller who helped us connect to the past through present-day visions he showed us that we should not forget where we came from and not be influenced by the flash and glitter of false surf culture. He was and still is an important part of surf culture even if he never planned to become one.
How did he end up writing a book about the life of Bunker Spreckels?
Salas : Art and Bunker met in Hawaii in 1969, a few years later he hired Art to travel the world and document his surfing and lifestyle.
These images remained under lock and key for a long time (perhaps two or three decades), a Japanese magazine took an interest in them in the early 90s, followed by an article, then finally a book entitled Spreckels: Surfing Divine Prince of Decadence (1949-1977)” (Taschen Books, 2007) and a film called Bunker 77 (2017)
What do its archives contain?
Salas : His passion revolved around the culture of the ocean and its inhabitants. But his curiosity about imagery and artistry led him to consider photography as an art itself. From melting polaroids in the microwave to emulsion transfers and construction sets to soften the lighting. Sports and culture were the result, but how he arrived at these images required a lot of thought before taking the image.
Tell a story about Art that is not common knowledge?
Salas : During a surfing trip to Mentawis (Indonesia), Canon lent him a prototype lens.
It was a 300 2.8 IS lens worth about $30,000.
He used this lens to move toward the lens, when shooting from the small fishing boat with an aluminum hull.
We kept telling the deckhand to change the spark plugs because the boat engine kept dying and a lot of things can go wrong without an engine…
One afternoon the engine stopped and we started drifting toward the pit, as Shane Beschen negotiated this huge wave, dropping and doubling as he flew toward us. Asked him if we were okay, he said maybe, before the word was said, a piece of white water the size of a car hit the metal and we flipped, the boat went rolled, I dove deep so as not to be hit by the boat or the camera. etc.
I didn't know what happened to the sailor or Art. I surfaced and found a group of people trying to help me, some on canoes and others on surfboards.
I was frantically looking for Art as he wasn't coming back, I dove and looked around and nothing, finally he came and it was something out of the movies, I saw a 300mm 2.8 breaking the surface of the water followed Art's hand, It looked like Excalibur's sword, he must have pushed from the bottom to come up so quickly because what followed was him taking a huge breath!
He looked at me and told me I understood!
Well, he might have figured it out, but at this point two Eos cameras, two 300mms and several other lenses and cameras, plus hundreds of yards of 35mm film and 16mm film were absolutely soaked by the warm, salty waters of the Indian Ocean.
Most on board were really afraid that he would lose his mind and become grumpy after such a blow, but he was actually very calm and took it very well, as it was beyond his control.
Van Swae: Art was considered, he upheld photography, defending the rights of others and his own. Sometimes there was anger on the phone. But he was the most caring and generous person I knew, who always thought of others first.
On our first trip to Puerto Rico to teach surf photography through SVA (School of Visual Art), in between work, Malcom Lightner (Program Manager) Art Brewer and I, JP Van Swae (Assistant), We sat down for a quick lunch at a small roadside cafe. Art recalled a trip he was recently assigned to take to Sarajevo. It was a war torn and decimated city to the point that they needed a guide/interpreter just to avoid any problems that might arise. Art tells us that after taking countless images of the trip, the team had gotten to know each other, share, etc. As with any adventure, the guide began to explain the dangers of landmines in the area. At this point he became very solemn and quiet as he told us that the next day the guide had gone to the wrong area and unfortunately did not survive. Art began to cry at the table among us, his heart giving out at the thought of someone he had just met. Art, who I always knew to be so stoic and steadfast, was so hurt that he caught me off guard. And that just adds to why he was such an incredible human being.
What are you currently working on and doing with his photography collection?
Salas : Right now the team is working on organizing files, digitizing, ongoing website work, processing print orders, and multiple photo requests for different publications.
We are seeking gallery representation to showcase his incredible archive and continue to share these images with the world.
The team is also tossing around ideas for a possible book in the future.
He left us a lifetime of treasures to enjoy, archive and share with others. Be on the alert.
