Some photographers document celebrities. Others produce such a singular body of work that they achieve celebrity status themselves. Richard Watherwax is one of those.
With his 90th birthday approaching, the long-time Key West photographer will be honored with a retrospective of his works at the Key West Museum of Art and History, 281 Front St. “The Antic Humor of Richard Watherwax” opens with a public reception on Friday, Sept. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m., and will be on display through Nov. 24.
Key West resident Erika Biddle, who conceived of the exhibit and birthday retrospective, spent countless hours tracking down and borrowing as many Watherwax images as possible, with plenty of them materializing in surprising and serendipitous ways.
Biddle then approached the Key West Art & Historical Society about hosting a retrospective exhibit and has been working with KWAHS curator and historian Cori Convertito to prepare the show.
“I visit Richard regularly at Palm Vista, where he now lives,” Biddle said. “When I realized his 90th birthday was approaching it spurred me to launch this project. It’s important; he’s such a major part of our area’s history.”
In addition to the exhibition, a scholarship will be launched in Watherwax’s name to benefit young photography students ages 12-18.
In his online blog, watherwax.blogspot.com, Watherwax shares photos and the stories behind them, including of his “Beatnik Daze” in San Francisco and New York City, where he tended bar and served drinks to people like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Watherwax also recalls drinking with Shel Silverstein in Greenwich Village before reconnecting with him decades later in Key West.
A journalism/photography major in college, Watherwax worked in commercial and advertising photography, shooting in NYC for clients like Coca-Cola, Revlon and AT&T. He admits that he actually lived the “Mad Men” lifestyle depicted in the smoke, sex and martini-laced television series.
In 1985 Watherwax took his final bite out of the Big Apple and moved to Key West, where he quickly took to the island’s free-spirited, artistic and intellectual vibe and cultivated a notably droll signature style. In Key West, he photographed scores of “shakers, makers and characters,” some depicted in character portraits, and others, such as his “Saturday Night Baby Fights” classic, in over-the-top story-telling scenes or tableaux cooked up in his imagination.
Before digital photography, Watherwax earned a prominent spot among top tier Key West-based photographers. A photo session with him often was a bucket list item for tourists and Keys residents. Clients understood that Watherwax could hone in on their unseen interior world, and capture that environment, and they would come away with something completely unexpected and original.
In addition to his photographic opus, Watherwax is the author of several books, many of which feature two of his favorite photography and writing subjects — cats and women.
“I can’t think of any way I’d rather celebrate my 90th birthday than to be surrounded by so many of the friends I’ve photographed over the years and who have made this such an interesting journey,” Watherwax said.
For more information contact Biddle at erikabiddle824kw@gmail.com.
