"I knew James Dean… as a friend and as a student. He was a disrupter of norms, a bender of rules, a disquieter of calm. Through these photographs I hope to transmit a glimpse of his most insistent, and perhaps eternal, presence."

Roy Schatt
PORTFOLIO I (Torn Sweater series): $ 6,250
5 Gelatin Silver Prints 16"x20" inches, limited edition of 70
PORTFOLIO II : $11,000
10 Gelatin Silver Prints 16"x20" inches, limited edition of 65
PORTFOLIO I & II : $15,000
15 Gelatin Silver Prints 16"x20" inches, limited edition of 65

Each print is signed and numbered by the photographer in pencil in the margin. Folio, silver-stamped black leatherette clamshell box. Included with each set, a commemorative block of 20 postage stamps, signed by Roy Schatt, issued in 1996 as part of the US Postal Service’s “Legends of Hollywood” series, bearing one of the classic “Torn Sweater” images.
In a brief and brilliant acting career that barely lasted over one year, actor James Dean made a deep and lasting impression on American culture. Although he only made three films (Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden and Giant), Dean’s rebellious but sensitive screen persona, coupled with his youthful and all to tragic death in 1955, has created a legend that still resonates nearly a half a century later.

Roy Schatt was Dean's friend and photography teacher during the final year and half of his life. During that time, his camera captured the many facets of Dean's complex personality. The 15 photographs contained in the "JAMES DEAN NEW YORK 1954 - IMAGES BY ROY SCHATT" portfolios, which include 6 of the famous "Torn Sweater" series, some of the most unforgettable portraits of the actor. They present rare glimpses of Dean during photo sessions with Schatt, relaxing at home, on the rehersal set, and on the streets of New York, the city he called his home.