In conjunction with the long-awaited unveiling of STORIES: The AIDS Monument in West Hollywood, the Herb Ritts Foundation, in partnership with Fahey/Klein Gallery, and ONE Gallery, is proud to present Herb Ritts: Allies & Icons – an intimate exhibition of Herb Ritts’ photographs that honor the activists, artists, and cultural leaders who helped transform the global fight against AIDS.
WHAT MAKES AN ACTIVIST? What constitutes the inner fire of someone who dares to step forward in the face of injustice? At the heart of activism lies radical empathy. This profound and overwhelming care for others is not casual or fleeting, but fierce, insistent, and transformative. Activists see the suffering of others not as distant but as personal, and they respond with action against the tide of rumor, stigma, and prejudice. When HIV and AIDS first swept across the world, it shook the foundations of culture and community. Humanity lost some of its most brilliant creators – musicians, painters, photographers, writers. Their absence was unthinkable. And yet, amid the despair, voices of courage rose.
Every struggle has its warriors. In the war against AIDS, some of these courageous figures are represented in the portraits taken by Herb Ritts. Himself, both an activist and, later, a victim of AIDS, Ritts used his camera as a weapon of truth. In the tradition of Man Ray, Edward Steichen, Richard Avedon, and Irving Penn, he created portraits instantly recognizable for their clarity, elegance, and power. His images radiate style, strength, and glamour, yet are stripped down to essential authentic truths.
Herb photographed the icons of his time. The notorious, the edgy, the culturally significant, and in doing so, gave us a visual record of an era marked by both beauty and profound loss. He sought not just to portray but to reveal, coaxing from his subjects a vulnerability that could disarm and a power that could inspire.
Minimalist yet daring, classical yet subversive, his portraits carried both order and surprise. With confidence and trust, he drew out the essence of those he photographed. Herb had a talent for seeing a characteristic that was unique to the subject and made it a dominant feature in the portrait. To look at his work is to encounter honesty, sometimes reassuring, sometimes unsettling, always transformative.
Herb Ritts was not only a photographer but a crusader. He challenged stereotypes, confronted prejudice, and used his success to advance change. His generosity extended far beyond his art: he raised millions for charity, donated proceeds from photographs, and before his death founded the Herb Ritts Jr. Foundation, dedicated to supporting photography, the arts, and AIDS organizations.
With each image, Herb invited us to see differently—to question, to recalibrate, to discover beauty in unexpected places. His photographs are not only portraits of individuals, but testaments to a moment in history when art and activism intertwined, and when compassion became a radical, life-saving force.
One Gallery in West Hollywood, November 14 through December 21, 2025.
Address: 626 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
