The Original New York Press “ P ” logo, March 1988.
Behind the Cutting Edge of Yesterday
Back in the mid-1980s, Russ Smith and I were brainstorming about ways to make a New York City newspaper. The artist and writer weekly was called New York Press, and played an important role in recording the vibrant culture of lower Manhattan. Russ was publisher and editor and I was the founding art director. New York Press quickly gained a notorious reputation for irreverent, whip-smart editorial. BuzzFeed called it, “The best weekly newspaper in America.” I’m proud to have played such an instrumental part.
Our first offices were in "Young Soho." Located on the corner of Broadway and Spring St., the building was sandwiched between Canal Jeans (now Bloomingdale's) and rows of old trimming shop storefronts, stocked with barrels of buttons. During our lunch breaks in the original two-person art department, Don Gilbert and I would look down at Broadway from the building's second floor window. We'd watch Keith Haring in big sneakers sprint across the street making Pop Shop deposits at the corner Chase Bank.
I led the vision of our design efforts. The New York Press look, feel and mandate was simple: always seek new and edgy artwork. We were lucky to have Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly close by publishing RAW books on Greene St. Together, they helped New York Press establish a core of contributing artists. The paper's subject matter covered; the serious to the absurd: politics, personalities, first person essays, pop culture and current events. Story ideas on every level were bandied about. My chief responsibility was providing covers, artwork and photographs. The Press staff was very driven, always alert and chasing the elusive deadline far into the night.
Our first offices were in "Young Soho." Located on the corner of Broadway and Spring St., the building was sandwiched between Canal Jeans (now Bloomingdale's) and rows of old trimming shop storefronts, stocked with barrels of buttons. During our lunch breaks in the original two-person art department, Don Gilbert and I would look down at Broadway from the building's second floor window. We'd watch Keith Haring in big sneakers sprint across the street making Pop Shop deposits at the corner Chase Bank.
I led the vision of our design efforts. The New York Press look, feel and mandate was simple: always seek new and edgy artwork. We were lucky to have Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly close by publishing RAW books on Greene St. Together, they helped New York Press establish a core of contributing artists. The paper's subject matter covered; the serious to the absurd: politics, personalities, first person essays, pop culture and current events. Story ideas on every level were bandied about. My chief responsibility was providing covers, artwork and photographs. The Press staff was very driven, always alert and chasing the elusive deadline far into the night.
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Alternative newspapers, like New York Press, spoke with an independent voice serving local communities. For most cities, those golden print moments have disappeared since the internet. Illustration played a distinct and important part of an alt paper's’ visual identity. In the tradition of an earlier New York paper, The East Village Other; New York Press also regularly published cutting edge comics. Contributing artists included: Kaz, Ben Katchor, Charles Burns, Mark Beyer, J.D.King, Alison Bechdel, Dave Bamundo, Mark Newgarden, Michael Kupperman, Carol Lay, Ward Sutton, M.Wartella, Nicole Eisenman, Marcellus Hall, Gary Panter, Georganne Deen, Jane Sanders, Danny Hellman, Sean Taggart, Drew Friedman, Richard Sala, Doug Allen, Gary Leib, David Lynch, Peter Bagge, Kim Deitch, Julie Doucet, Fred Harper, Joe Rocco, Joe Coleman, Ivan Brunetti, Julee Kim, Sam Henderson, Tony Millionaire, John Ellsberry, Michael Gentile and many others.The Society of Illustrators’ Alternative Weekly 2015 exhibition highlighted many New York Press artists. Comprised of original artwork, artifacts and ephemera, the show revealed the diverse artistic and storytelling styles within this important and influential genre. In presenting these rare newsprint images, considering the early New York Press production days were pre-digital, sadly few copies still exist. The work presented here varies in scan quality, availability and condition since original archive material is scarce..
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Of Note: Bound issues of the first 10 years of New York Press are archived and available for viewing by special appointment at New York University's Fales Library & Special Collections in the Downtown Collection. The NYU archive aims to preserve records and artifacts that represent the development and history of lower Manhattan’s downtown arts scene that evolved in Soho and the Lower East Side over the course of the 1970s through the early 1990s.
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Michael Gentile's own illustration work consists of interpretations of animals, cityscapes and spectral figures; the work graced many New York Press pages. A special presentation: a Michael Gentile original poem with art and photographs. Presented in Adobe Spark: The Dead Leaves link can be found on Behance's info page.
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Michael Gentile's own illustration work consists of interpretations of animals, cityscapes and spectral figures; the work graced many New York Press pages. A special presentation: a Michael Gentile original poem with art and photographs. Presented in Adobe Spark: The Dead Leaves link can be found on Behance's info page.
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New York Press, Best of Manhattan issue, September 25, 2002. Michael Gentile cover art.
Joe Coleman art for New York Press all comics issue, March 30, 1990. Michael Gentile: concept and art direction.
Dave Bamundo cover art for NYPress, August 21,1998. Michael Gentile art direction.
Wayno cover for NewYork Press, Arts & Listings section, July 7,1999. Michael Gentile art direction.
Mark Beyer cover for NYPress all comics issue, March 30,1990. Michael Gentile concept and art direction.
Mark Newgarden's Weekly comic strip.
Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields. New York Press cover, May 19,1990. Photograph by Michael Gentile.
Ben Katchor's weekly comic strip: Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer.
Ivan Brunetti cover for New York Press, September 29,1999. Michael Gentile art direction.
Charles Burns' weekly comic strip: Big Baby.
Tony Millionaire cover for New York Press, Best of Manhattan issue, September 18, 1996. Michael Gentile art direction.
Advertisement for New York Press artists show at CBGB's 313 Gallery.
Society of Illustrators Alternative Weekly exhibition statement: co-curated by Warren Bernard and Bill Kartalopoulos.
