Changing Role Gallery

Ursula Andress,Julie Andrews, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Warren Beatty, John Belushi, Ingrid Bergman, David Bowie, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Cher, Mike Douglas, Marlene Dietrich, Peter Falk, Ella Fitzgerald,Greta Garbo, Art Garfunkel, Rock Hudson, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Grace Kelly, Kevin Kline, Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Yoko Ono, Al Pacino,Sylvester Stallone,Elyzabeth Taylor,Tina Turner, are part of 100 photos that artist-fan has chosen to show in Italy.

During the sixties and seneties Broadway shows played in Baltimoren New Haven and Philadelphia before opening in New York. Back then it was much easier to come into contact with celebrities than now. Of course, at those times they were simply known as "Stars". Casting him in the role of a documentarian the camera gave him the reason he'd needeed to approach stars in person.Boas discovered that his pictures could capture the attention of those who might once have brushed him off. The fact that the Stars allowed themselves to be photographed was as important to boas as actually meeting them.

Once you've started following celebrities , it's difficult to stop, ther's always a new batch to chase with all new residual glitter, and your appetite becomes histercial with each generation.It's an addiction to to be around celebrities, they perform for the camera and come alive at the moment a fan says " I love you".These people adore ebing stars as much as we love watching them do so. Adding to their allure, celebrities provide imaginary friends for their fans. " Son't tell anyone, but a new hairstyle( even if it's just a wig) for Cher can brighten my whole day".

By the mid-seventies Boas' autographs, letters and photographs had beecome a formidable collection. The photographs were a varied bunch. Anyone who caught his eye from a star to a chorus boy in the back row was suitable for a photo.Boas' collection, which today spans more than 60,000 picturesis nothing if not democratic. The fact that he would shoot one or two photos per sighting, oten waiting hours to photograph one person, makes the sheer number of images in his collection that much more extraordinary. As a result o this method Boas captured a number of stars well before they necame stars . At the same time , Boas photographed stars near the end of their carreer well after their fame had faded. His recognition of these stars was almost invariably well received the warmth they felt toward him for his cntinued attention is obvious in the mages themselves.
These photos ddating from 1966 to 1980, document with refershing vitality a bygone era of glamour, fandom and pre-paparazzi innocence. The great number of people filtered through the lens of an unknown , devoted fan, moves this collection into the realms of pop-culture and " outsider" art photography.

The passion and dedication with which Boas has collected these trophies and the intensity with which he sets them in memory make him more appealing than the common paparazzo. It is , however, the way his compulsion manifests the deeper desires and darker needs of our society that makes his extensive work so relevant to, and resonant with, the issues of contemporary art.