20 Things You Didn't Know About Ryan McGinley

There's more to the man than his incredible photographs.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Photographer Ryan McGinley's ascent in the art world was rapid and impressive, especially given his accomplishments at such a young age. He has come to embody the downtown NYC cool kid of the contemporary moment, being both a part of the scene and an innovator of it.

McGinley's work is anything but dull, whether he's capturing nude photos of friends running through the desert or M.I.A. swinging off of the Ohm Building in Manhattan. Chances are, you've seen his pieces of young people running free in nature or posing vacantly in his monochrome series. 

Having just installed a sublime billboard piece titled "Blue Falling" on the High Line, we decided to revisit what makes McGinley so captivating both artistically and as a person. Enjoy these 20 Things You Didn't Know About Ryan McGinley.

Ryan was childhood friends with Dan Colen, both having grown up in Jersey.

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Ryan was actually a jock growing up, and he met most of his close friends through various sports and skateboarding.

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Ryan picked up his first camera at 15-years-old and started making films of friends doing skateboarding tricks.

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Through graffiti writer Earsnot, Ryan met fellow artist Dash Snow.

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While majoring in graphic design at Parsons, McGinley made 100 zines featuring his work.

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His first solo exhibition was in an abandoned gallery in SoHo, where he sold several copies of his self-printed zine, "The Kids Are Alright."

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Artist Gilles Larrain became one of Ryan's early influences after seeing his book, Idols.

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All of his work relates to his family, as he actively searches for models that resemble how his brothers and sisters looked when they were younger.

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He greatly admires photographer Berenice Abbott, whose work chronicles New York City being built.

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Morrissey's manager was a collector of his work and allowed him to shoot wherever he wanted throughout concerts.

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McGinley is still the youngest artist to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art. He was 25.

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McGinley facilitated the formation of the New York City based band, The Virgins, by introducing and photographing two of its members in 2005.

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The designer, Agnès B, sponsored his road trip across America in 2005.

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Ryan has a "hype-girl" who talks to his subjects and engages them in various activities while he photographs them with a digital camera.

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McGinley received the prestigious ICP Infinity Young Photographer Award in 2007.

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His style icon is actor, Willem Dafoe. He and Ryan were both muses for artist, Sandro Kopp.

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Ryan doesn't use professional models for his work.

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Ryan McGinley has shot over 100 concerts across the world.

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Ryan McGinley has shot a music video for the song "Varúð" by Sigur Ros.

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Ryan McGinley has shot a music video for the song "Varúð" by Sigur Ros.

Sigur Rós' "Mystery Film Experiment" challenged filmmakers to create videos for the music on their latest album, Valtari, with a small budget and an artistic vision. McGinley stated, "This piece is my poem to New York City. I wanted to bring a childhood innocence to the streets, through a character whose own light and wonder effects the world around her."

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He directed a short commercial for the 2013 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week featuring supermodel Karlie Kloss.

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He directed a short commercial for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week this year featuring supermodel Karlie Kloss.

The ad features Karlie Kloss artfully running after a car and a white horse, proving McGinley's directing chops beyond photography and music videos.

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