Duane Michals - Vorschau (Preview)

In October 1976, the Fotografis Collection hosted a symposium in Vienna. At that time, Duane Michals astonished the audience with the following statement: "I do not believe that a picture can say more than a thousends of words. On contrary, a thousend of words are often incomparably more significant than a photograph." Duane (Stephen) Michals was born on February 18, 1932, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and developed an early interest in painting. He completed his art studies at the University of Denver in 1956, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. His artistic influences included, René Magritte, Balthus, and Giogio de Chirico. In 1958, he worked as a graphic designer for Time Corporation but soon took a three-week leave of absence. Borrowing some money and a simple camera from friends, he traveled to Russia. Upon returning to New York, he accepted advertising commissions and published work in various periodicals. Duane Michals never owned his own photography studio. Instead, he preferred to go to people and photograph them in their own environments, or visit the subjects during theater and film rehearsals. In 1958, he met the shy Andy Warhol and became friends with him. Warhol completed his art studies at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh in 1949 and was working successfully in New York as a commercial and graphic artist. After a few years, he decided to pursue a career as a fin artist. When Michals added a handwritten note directly onto photogaph, it horrofied many photographers. In the 1970s, Studio 54 in Manhattan was considered the most famous nightclub in the world, attracting not only many artists but also New York high society. Duane Michals was open about his homosexuality, wsriting. "For me, homosexuality is about the legitimacy of affection. When that finds physical expression, it is wonderful." At the age of 17, Duane Michals discovered Walt Whitman 's poetry collection "Leaves of Grass". The poetry of the gay writer Walt Whitman helped Michals find his own identity. He later honored the poet with his book "Salut Walt Whitman." The Greek homerotic poet Constantine Cavafy also had a major influence on Michals's personality. Duane Michals was friends for decades with Joel Grey - the emcee from the film "Cabaret" - and in 2007, the two published a book together titled "The Adventures of Constantine Cavafy". In a statment, Michals wrote: "If I cared what other people thought of me, I wouldn't dare tackle certain subjects at all."