Biographie
Christopher Felver is a cultural documentarian whose unique visual style has become a significant part of our national cultural heritage. His films and photographs form a comprehensive record of the American mid-century avant-garde.
Felver's published works include: Tending the Fire: Native Voices & Portraits (University of New Mexico Press, 2017); American Jukebox (Indiana University Press, 2014); Beat (Last Gasp, 2007), a personal blend of images, text, and memories; The Late Great Allen Ginsberg (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002); The Importance of Being (Arena Editions, 2001), containing 400 portraits of notable figures in American arts, letters, music, and politics; Ferlinghetti Portrait (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1998); Angels, Anarchists & Gods (Louisiana State University Press, 1996), highlighting the American avant-garde; The Poet Exposed (Alfred Van der Marck Editions, 1986), a monograph on contemporary American poets; and Seven Days in Nicaragua Libre (City Lights Books, 1984), co-written with Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
His documentaries have captured the essence and creativity of numerous international artists, including The Spirit of Golf (2020); Anthony Cragg: Inside/Outside (2020); Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder (2013); Cecil Taylor: All the Notes (2005); Donald Judd's Marfa Texas (1998); The Coney Island of Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1996); Tony Cragg: In Celebration of Sculpture (1993); John Cage Talks About Cows (1991); Taken by the Romans (1990); West Coast: Beat & Beyond (1984); and California Clay in the Rockies (1983).
Retrospectives of Felver’s films have been showcased at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the New York Public Library, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. His work has been exhibited worldwide in venues including Guild Hall, East Hampton (2016); New York Public Library (2007); Fahey Klein Gallery, Los Angeles (2002); National Gallery of Art, Washington DC (2006); Maine Photographic Workshop (2002); Robert Berman Gallery, Los Angeles (2007, 2014); MOCA Los Angeles’s Blues for Smoke (2012); Whitney Museum, New York (2013, 2016); Art Institute for the Permian Basin, Odessa, Texas (1987); Arco d'Alibert, Rome (1987); Torino Fotografia Biennale Internazionale, Italy (1989); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (1994); La Biennale di Venezia (1996); Roosevelt Study Center, Middelburg, Netherlands (1998); and London National Theatre (2011).
