Duane Michals

Duane Michals (pronounced /ˈmaɪkəls/, born February 18, 1932) is an American photographer.[1] Michals' work makes innovative use of photo-sequences, often incorporating text to examine emotion and philosophy.[2]

Contents

Education and career

Michals' interest in art "began at age 14 while attending watercolor university classes at the Carnegie Institute [Carnegie Museum of Art] in Pittsburgh."[3] In 1953 he received a B.A. from the University of Denver.[4] After two years in the Army, in 1956 he went on to study at the Parsons School of Design with a plan to becoming a graphic designer; however, he did not complete his studies.[3]

He describes his photographic skills as "completely self-taught."[2] In 1958 while on a holiday in the USSR he discovered an interest in photography.[4] The photographs he made during this trip became his first exhibition held in 1963 at the Underground Gallery in New York City.

For a number of years, Michals was a commercial photographer, working for Esquire and Mademoiselle, and he covered the filming of The Great Gatsby for Vogue (1974).[5] He did not have a studio. Instead, he took portraits of people in their environment, which was a contrast to the method of other photographers at the time, such as Avedon and Irving Penn.

Michals was hired by the government of Mexico to photograph the 1968 Summer Olympics.[5] In 1970 his works were shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[6] The portraits he took between 1958 and 1988 would later become the basis of his book, Album.

In 1976 Michals received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Michals also produced the art for the album Synchronicity (by The Police) in 1983,[3][5] and Richard Barone's Clouds Over Eden album in 1993.[7]

Artistic influences and impact

Though he has not been involved in gay civil rights, his photography has addressed gay themes.[8][9] Michals cites Balthus, William Blake, Lewis Carroll, Thomas Eakins, René Magritte, and Walt Whitman as influences on his art.[2] In turn, he has influenced photographers such as David Levinthal and Francesca Woodman.[10][11]

He is noted for two innovations in artistic photography developed in the 1960s and 1970s. First, he "[told] a story through a series of photos"[5] as in his 1970 book Sequences. Second, he handwrote text near his photographs, thereby giving information that the image itself could not convey.[5][12]

Exhibitions

Awards

Personal life

Michals grew up in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and currently lives in New York City.[8] Michals has been in a relationship with his partner for 51 years as of 2011.[8]

Selected books

References

  1. ^ Duane Michals biography. Grove Art Online, 2003.
  2. ^ a b c McKenna, Kristine (1993-03-14). "Picture imperfect: for maverick Duane Michals, a photo is worth far less than a thousand words when the questions are about the very meaning of truth". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-03-14/entertainment/ca-543_1_duane-michals. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 
  3. ^ a b c d School of Visual Arts (2000-09-18 through 2000-10-21). "Masters Series: Duane Michals". http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/sa/index.jsp?sid0=201&page_id=482&event_id=33. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 
  4. ^ a b Shaw, Kurt (2004-11-18). "Pictures of a life". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_273188.html. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Phillips, Ian (1999-09-10). "Arts: angels in America". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/arts-angels-in-america-1117526.html. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 
  6. ^ Museum of Modern Art (1970-10-07 through 1970-12-06). "Stories By Duane Michals (press release)". http://www.moma.org/docs/press_archives/4524/releases/MOMA_1970_July-December_0043_103.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 
  7. ^ Barone, Richard (2007). Frontman: surviving the rock star myth. New York: Backbeat Books. pp. 150. ISBN 9780879309121. 
  8. ^ a b c Murtha, Tara (2008-04-30). "Photographer Duane Michals discusses his gay-themed work". Philadelphia Weekly. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/38467469.html. 
  9. ^ Provenzano, Jim (2007-07-05). "The poet's eye: photographer Duane Michals visualizes Cavafy poems". Bay Area Reporter. http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=books&article=283. 
  10. ^ Levinthal, David (2000). "Duane Michals". Photo District News. http://pdngallery.com/20years/20mostinfluential/michals.html. 
  11. ^ Gabhart, Ann (1986). Francesca Woodman, photographic work. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Museum. p. 54. OCLC 13474131. 
  12. ^ a b Smith, Rosalind (December 2003). "Duane Michals: getting to the heart with a wry eye". Shutterbug. http://www.shutterbug.net/features/1203sb_duane/. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 

Further reading

Film and video

External links