In 1973, shortly after moving to New York, Jimmy DeSana met fellow artist @lauriesimmons while riding the A train to Far Rockaway. ⁠ ⁠ The two soon shared a SoHo loft with twin photographic darkrooms. Simmons has often acknowledged that DeSana, who received a BFA in photography, taught her most of what she knows about the medium, acting as a friend, mentor, and interlocutor until his death in 1990. Simmons also became a model and muse for DeSana’s work.⁠ ⁠ Now the executor of the Jimmy DeSana Trust for several decades, Simmons writes, “I am immensely grateful for every moment Jimmy and I spent together, for every freezing second I floated naked in a pool or held an awkward pose for way too long, for this was my graduate program in photography—this is really where I learned to make a picture... standing within Jimmy’s quiet but determined force field, emulating his laserlike focus and his ultimate belief that making art was a space to play and dream.” #JimmyDeSanaBkM⁠ ⁠ 📷 Jimmy DeSana (American, 1949–1990). Sofa, 1977–78. Gelatin silver print, 6 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (16.5 × 24.1 cm). Courtesy of the Jimmy DeSana Trust and P·P·O·W Gallery, New York. © Estate of Jimmy DeSana. (Photo: Allen Phillips)