McDermott & McGough

During the 1980s, David McDermott and Peter McGough were prominent figures in New York City's East Village art scene, immersing themselves in the Victorian era, with their lives and art strictly adhering to the aesthetics of the fin de siècle.

Biography of McDermott & McGough

McDermott & McGough, comprising American visual artists David McDermott (born 1952) and Peter McGough (born 1958), divide their time between Dublin and New York City. The duo emerged from the vibrant East Village art scene in the 1980s.

David McDermott, born in Hollywood, California, in 1952, pursued his studies at Syracuse University from 1970 to 1974. Meanwhile, Peter McGough, born in Syracuse in 1958, also attended Syracuse University, although their paths didn't intersect until both artists later relocated to New York City.

Between 1980 and 1995, McDermott & McGough embraced a lifestyle that mirrored the period from 1900 to 1928, dressing, living, and working as artists and "men about town."

In 2017, the artistic duo inaugurated the Oscar Wilde Temple in Greenwich Village, serving as a non-secular sacred space designed for the LGBTQ+ community.

McDermott & McGough's art style

David McDermott and Peter McGough express their artistic vision across various mediums, including painting, photography, sculpture, and film. At the core of their creative exploration is a profound inquiry into the nature of nostalgia and narrative.

The duo is most recognized for their distinctive approach to photography, employing alternative historical processes, especially 19th-century techniques like cyanotype, gum bichromate, platinum, and palladium. Through these methods, McDermott & McGough defy conventional artistic norms and challenge the boundaries of time.

Their artistic journey ventures into diverse facets of culture, including popular culture, religion, medicine, advertising, fashion, and sex.

The impact of McDermott & McGough's work extends to a multitude of prestigious art institutions, featuring in solo and group exhibitions at places like Cheim & Read, Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Pat Hearn Gallery, Massimo Audiello Gallery, Galleria Gian Enzo Sperone, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Whitney Museum of American Art, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Centre Pompidou, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art.