Renowned Portrait Artist Brings
Photo Exhibit to Richfield Springs

By TED MEBUST

RICHFIELD SPRINGS – After two years of living in Otsego County, Dmitri Kasterine, a photographer whose work hangs in both the Smithsonian and London’s National Portrait Gallery, is opening a free exhibit of his work to the surrounding community. Located at 1441 County Highway 23 in Richfield Springs, the event will feature a vast portrait collection from throughout the artist’s career—subjects ranging from Queen Elizabeth II to Jean Michel Basquiat—on Saturday, December 10 from 5-7 p.m.

Kasterine’s career brought him in contact with numerous cultural icons of the previous century, especially while living in New York City during the 1980s, where he admitted the artists were “much more accessible” than today.

Originally from England, he also spent over two decades in Newburgh, New York, where he crafted an intimate photographic account of how the town’s declining economy has affected locals.

“I love taking photographs, particularly of everyday people,” said Kasterine, who prefers a Nikon to an iPhone camera.

The “subject and the way the photo is taken,” he explained, “have to be more outstanding than ever” given the prevalence of portrait-taking devices today.

Saturday’s event will display works on subjects from Kasterine’s travels in Venice, artists, musicians and writers he’s met along the way.

Learn more about Kasterine’s career and upcoming exhibition at kasterine.com.

For visits after December 10, schedule a time with ckasterine@gmail.com.