Hailing from just outside Boston, Armstrong studied painting at the Boston Museum School before moving to New York City with teenage-friend, legendary photographer Nan Goldin.
First receiving critical acclaim for his sensual portraits of men, Armstrong began working with Elisabeth Sussman, curator of photographs at the Whitney Museum in composing a retrospective on Goldin. After acquiring a number of photographs from David for the Whitney permament collection, he was subsequently featured in the 1994 Whitney Museum biennial.
Armstrong has worked from his brownstone in Brooklyn since 2000, a haven for him and the title of his 2011 art book release “615 Jefferson Avenue,” showcasing a collection of portraits of male models taken within a 10 year span.
While fashion was not initially a focus for Armstrong, he found a fan in Hedi Slimane who invited him to shoot backstage at Dior Homme of which Slimane was then creative-director for. Since then his work has appeared in print media: o32c magazine, 10 magazine, CR Fashion Book, Another Man, Vogue Hommes, Purple, Wonderland amongst many more not including commissions from some of fashion’s biggest brands such as Burberry, Barbara Bui, & Ermenegildo Zegna.
