Steven Love Menendez is an award-winning New York City based photographer with a focus on the fine art figurative nude. His decades of work as a Stylist, Fashion Editor, Art Director and vast experience working on photography sets facilitate his work with the fine art medium. He pursued his passion for photography at the International Center of Photography. His evocative fine art portraits have graced the walls of the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, solo exhibitions in New York City, Fire Island, Provincetown and Miami. Accolades such as being named one of the World’s Top 10 Black and White Photographers in 2019 and one of the World’s Top 10 Fine Art Photographers in 2021 by One Eye Land, alongside winning placements in the NUDE Photoshoot awards in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. He received the President’s Medal at the Fire Island Cherry Grove Arts Project show in 2018. His sought-after photographs have been published in The Advocate, Gay Letter, Out Magazine, and The Queer Review, amplifying his vision to a broader audience and to cement his artistic legacy.
Steven's unrelenting and consistent activism in the LGBTQ+ Community for over 20 years manifests through the idea that Peace, Love, Kindness and Beauty are the most powerful and needed forms of protest. In 2017, Steven created the annual 250 Pride month Rainbow Flag installation at the Stonewall National Monument. In 2019 Steven was pivotal in getting the first permanent flagpole and Rainbow flag installed at the Stonewall National Monument. He petitioned for the first permitted Drag Shows at a National Monument. His activism has been the focus of worldwide media attention for his tireless efforts to elevate the profile of the LGBTQ + Community.
Artist James Bidgood Master of Gay Art photography was quoted writing “I love Steven's luxurious fusing together of uncontrolled nature and the human form in an equally natural state, adding his splendid vision to what is truly to be treasured about mankind". Charles Leslie, American art collector, gay rights activist and founder of the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art stands out as a one of his most prominent collectors validating Menendez's impact within the LGBTQ Art community.
A student of mysticism, spirituality and philosophy for over 30 years, Menendez expresses the tenderness and intimacy of the human form in serene and harmonious settings that bring a sense of peace, introspection and upliftment to the viewer. He believes in the power of art to reflect and shape societal values, striving to transcend conventional perceptions and evoke a deeper understanding of beauty and humanity. His mission through his art and activism is to remind us that once we can remove our metaphorical masks and garments that we can more deeply experience our interconnectedness and oneness with the Universe.