When I arrived in Cambridge I went to the post box and there was a package from Gabriel waiting for me. I was distracted by the usual flurry of arrival nonsense so my brain didn’t properly understand what I had in my hands.
When I turned the pages to the index, it felt like my heart literally stopped – it is a 1961 catalog from an exhibition titled Six Photographers. Featuring Ralph Eugene Meatyard.
In my opinion Meatyard is one of the most important practitioners of the medium in the previous century, with a body of work far superior to any of his splashy contemporaries. On a personal level he certainly influenced me more than any other artist of any description. His photographs have been vastly more meaningful to me than any book I’ve ever read. In short, Gabriel is the best ever!