Marcelo Gutierrez’s New Book Captures the Beauty of “Subversive Pop Culture”

“Sometimes I feel that books, fashion, and image-making get stuck in a space of over-intellectualism,” says Marcelo Gutierrez. The Colombia-born, New York City-based makeup artist would know—he’s created beauty looks for Madonna, Emily Ratajkowski, Ayo Edebiri, and Chloë Sevigny (plus Tems, for the very pages of this magazine). “The academic aspect of it all can, at times, hinder expression, beauty, and fun.”

Gutierrez has taken matters into his own hands. On November 21, the artist will release his first photography book, titled Nothing Precious—a 60-page tome featuring imagery of Joan Smalls, Lourdes Leon, Gabbriette, and many more stars, rocking beauty looks informed by Gutierrez’s background as a painter. “This idea originated from observing an overwhelming emphasis on European image-making,” he continues. “I felt a desire to celebrate the talent in New York City, the tribe I belong to.”

The looks Gutierrez dreamed up for Nothing Precious are true to the aesthetic for which he’s become known: colorful, broad brush strokes in unexpected places (like on the shoulders of Vinson Fraley, who is featured in the book sporting one of Gutierrez’s favorite full-body looks). In collaboration with photographers Renell Medrano and Aidan Zamiri, the images show Gutierrez’s range—like the Geisha-coded makeup he applied to Jazzelle Zanaughtti, aka @uglyworldwide, on one page, then a soft look on Leon the next. “I was inspired by photographers like Diane Arbus and publications like Butt Magazine,” the makeup artist says of what was on his mood board for Nothing Precious, “a combination of documentary, mixed in with Warhol’s New York City.”

“Similarly to how some actors do all their prep before shooting and then have to let go and trust the process on set—this is that,” Gutierrez adds of his book, which includes a foreword written by Lily-Rose Depp. “The real value is in the moment of capture, the encapsulation of a moment in time in New York, and the beauty of subversive popular culture.” Scroll through a selection of photos from Nothing Precious, below.