Barry Kamen

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Barry Owen Kamen (22 September 1963 – 4 October 2015) was an English artist, stylist and model. He was best known as a founder member of Ray Petri's Buffalo movement.^[1][2] Kamen was the co-editor and designer of the Buffalo book.

Early life[]

Barry Kamen was born in Harlow, Essex, England, where he attended St Marks RC Comprehensive School. He was the last of eight children, with four sisters and three brothers, Ronald Kamen, Chester Kamen and Nick Kamen.^[3]

Career[]

Barry Kamen began his career as a model in his late teens and was originally signed to the Laraine Ashton agency. He occasionally appeared with his brother Nick Kamen in publications and catwalk shows. Notable appearances were in magazines such as The Face and i-D; advertisements; catwalk shows for fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood, BodyMap, Yves Saint Laurent and Yohji Yamamoto; and music videos such as Neneh Cherry's "Manchild".^[4] In 1987, he appeared on the catwalk for Comme des Garçons with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, musicians Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot and Migi Drummond from Curiosity Killed the Cat, and singer-songwriter Richard Jobson from Skids.^[5]

Kamen was a founder member and integral part of the Buffalo movement led by style guru Ray Petri.^[6] After a chance meeting in the early 1980s, Kamen and his brother Nick became Petri's muses. The Buffalo movement included a group of photographers, designers and artists, such as Jamie Morgan and Marc Lebon. The Buffalo aesthetic was drawn from styles seen on the streets and in nightclubs. One of the most radical aspects of Buffalo was the use of diverse models that were rarely seen in advertising at the time. As such agency models were scarce, the Buffalo movement turned to the streets to find new faces, such as Naomi Campbell, who Kamen described as "this nutty girl aged about fourteen, but she was part of the crew".^[2] Modern designers continue to draw on the aesthetics of Buffalo, and in 2015, Kamen collaborated with the brand Dr. Martens to style the Spirit of Buffalo campaign.^[7]

Kamen was a consultant for Puma and helped to produce Usain Bolt’s looks for the 2012 Diamond League.^[8] Some of Kamen's final work as a stylist on Boxer was exhibited posthumously in 2016 at the Exposure Gallery on Little Portland Street, London.^[9]

As an artist, Kamen exhibited in solo shows in London, Paris, Florence and Tokyo. He had an artist's studio at Southgate Studios in London's East End, where he both created and exhibited his artwork (6 Nov 2014 – 8 Nov 2014, open studio show).^[10] He participated in Artistic Differences (29 June 2016 – 4 September 2016) at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, which brought together artists and designers that were directly linked to British fashion stylist Judy Blame.^[11]

Kamen's artwork appeared on several album covers, including Labour of Love II by UB40.^[12]

Music videos[]

• "Manchild" by Neneh Cherry
• "Each Time You Break My Heart" by Nick Kamen
• "Nobody Else" by Nick Kamen

Advertisements[]

• Jazz Eau de Toilette by Yves Saint Laurent^[13]

Album cover artwork[]

• Labour of Love II by UB40
• Move Until We Fly by Nick Kamen
• The Force Behind the Power by Diana Ross
• The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers (back cover)

References[]