Art Brewer, the legendary surf photographer, died on November 9, 2022, surrounded by family and close friends after a battle with liver disease at the age of 71.
Art Brewer began his career in 1967 as a teenager photographing local Laguna surfers and freelanced for Surfer Magazine in the late 1960s. A self-taught photographer who once studied with Ansel Adams, he has circumnavigated the globe countless times to photograph the world's best surfers chasing the most spectacular waves.
Over the next several decades, he became the dominant photographer in the surfing world. Brewer was known for both his action photography and his portraits. He dominated surf photography in the 1980s and 1990s with some of the most iconic action shots the sport has ever seen. Art Brewer demonstrated a shrewd eye for lighting and composition as he captured the thrilling sights of big surfers.
Art's images have captured the surf lifestyle, the sport and its evolution over the decades. His style and vision have been reflected in a variety of publications including Esquire Magazine, Rolling Stone and Islands Magazine. His fine art prints can be seen in gallery exhibitions around the world and in the books Masters of Surf Photography: Art Brewer and Bunker Spreckels. He later photographed for brands such as Nike, Gatorade, Vans Shoes, Yamaha, Sea Doo and teaches action surf photography workshops at the New York School of Visual Arts.
The whole SUNBOUNCE team mourns the loss of a good, long-standing friend.