There are two Davids in pop culture: David Chapelle, the comedian, and David LaChapelle, the world-renowned photographer Jay-Z rapped about on “All the Way Up.” Few photographers get a shout-out like that, and when you bring it up to LaChapelle—that he’s mentioned in a rap song from one of the world’s most iconic rappers—he says casually, “Oh yeah, Jay-Z. He’s a nice guy.”

LaChapelle, who got his start shooting for Andy Warhol’s Interview while working as a busboy for Studio 54, has spent more than forty years behind the lens and has come to define what has been called kitsch pop surrealism. In fact, he might just be the king of the genre. His photos tend to be arresting portraits of celebrities, elevating them to religious icons, with all due irony and symbolism. His high-gloss photo style is the epitome of modern-day glamor.

His work for a veritable arsenal of brands and magazines made his career, but the celebrity cycle got old and LaChapelle sought out an escape beyond what he’d always done to promote for LGBTQIA rights and AIDS awareness. Turns out escaping meant relocating to Maui, where since 2006 he has lived off-grid—a self-sustaining farmer-photographer. His most recent work showcases his spiritual side, with staged photos that draw inspiration from paradise, religious art and his tropical home.

Currently, LaChapelle is on what one might call a merry-go-round of retrospectives, showing everywhere from Fotografiska to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. He recently held a solo show in Rome with Deodato Gallery and is showing next in Miami at Visu Contemporary with “Happy Together,” which opens in just a few days.

Of course, for many of us, LaChapelle’s photographs of iconic celebrities from the 1990s and 2000s are his........

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