McDermott & McGough are an artist collaborative consisting of two people, David McDermott (American, b.1952) and Peter McGough (American, b.1958). They have been actively working together since 1980, after having met in New York following their studies at Syracuse University. In their practice, they have worked in painting, film, and sculpture, but are particularly known for their photographic works. Inspired by the Victorian era, they opted to dress and live their lives as members of this era, limiting themselves technologically and wearing top hats and other Victorian garb day-to-day. They have also employed historical techniques to make their work, including cyanotypes and platinum plates, and other 19th century photographic methods. More recently, their work has included investigations into advertising and cinematic imagery from the 1950–60s.
As prominent figures in the East Village art scene, McDermont & McGough received substantial critical acclaim and went on to be exhibited in solo shows at Cheim & Reade in New York, M77 Gallery in Milan, the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, Torch Gallery in Amsterdam, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among many others. Their works can be found in the public collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the International Center of Photography in New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.
