Strange Stories: The Photography of Gerald Davis

Palm Beach society, celebrities, nudist colonies, politicians, bald-headed men's conventions, natural disasters, and even the world's fattest cat were all captured through the elegant and clever lens of photographer Gerald Davis.

Davis produced a prolific body of work that is at once weird and wonderful. As a resident of West Palm Beach, Davis had access to the eccentric and rarefied world of wealthy Palm Beachers and eccentric Floridians. Many of his images evoke the glamour and irony of its subjects, such as a sequined and fur-draped socialite posing languidly with her cat underneath a massive chandelier and frescoed ceiling. Davis gets the shot with the cat's teeth digging in its owner's hand.

Todd Oldham discovered these STRANGE STORIES and knew they needed to be compiled into this lovely and humorous look at our society through the lens of an unassuming and devoted photographer. This secret treasure trove of images that range from Elizabeth Taylor to the waterskiing squirrel and dirty crime in the mean streets of Miami is sure to surprise and delight its viewers.
Born in New York City in 1940, Davis grew up in a working-class family in the Bronx. He spent his career as a photojournalist and worked for numerous European and U.S. magazines. In 1978 he became the photo editor for The National Enquirer, which led to many bizarre assignments.
The images in 'Strange Stories' make a strong case for Gerald Davis as a unique and under-recognized talent, a keen observer of mid to late twentieth-century American life with a wry, playful sensibility that falls somewhere between William Eggleston and John Waters. --The Paris Review ' Davis had an eye for photographing the world in its often-brazen glory. The photographs in this book lay bare the stranger side of photography with candid shots of celebrities, odd buffet-style spreads of food, and even the macabre images of tagged cadaver toes and blood bathed car interior. --San Diego Book Review