In April (forsooth, spring is right around the cold, wet corner)
ArtJail (excellent name) will be showing Steve Pyke's autobiographical
Acts of Memory series, in conjunction with the paintings of André Petrov. The show, titled (appropriately enough) Petrov and Pyke opens at 'the amorphous border of Chinatown and the LES', aka 50 Eldridge, on April 9th. Of the project, Steve
says "I make one every three years. So I have ten of them now. They are made of multi media containing everything from tissue to chinagraph and of course hundreds of images." I personally spy gorgeous dancer Michael Clark in a tutu, inducing my own memories of the 80s.
Acts of Memory III 1985-1987 © Steve Pyke
I know Christopher mostly as a stills photographer, he's got a great variety of celebs and musicians in his portfolio, but he's also a film director - I enjoyed the 'Teaser' reel on his website. I'll let Christopher's own blurb tell you the rest.
Ève Salvail © Christopher McLallen
I found a print of this in the files. I've lost Audrey's hand in the scanning as it's a large print and I don't have time to Photoshop right now. They are so gorgeous together. I've been fortunate to work with Sean Ferrer, their son, who runs the Audrey Hepburn Foundation, so I sent him a copy.
Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, 1956 © Yousuf Karsh
Life as a celebrity photo agent.
As previously mentioned, Michael and I celebrate the anniversary of the sale of our agency this week, he's nearly finished the living room, why not celebrate with more Putland posts? Today's notable request was for Jimmy Page in his dragon suit, close-ups of the arms and back. I asked the guy if he wanted to buy a print, but he just wants to make a Jimmy Page costume so I sent him over to Corbis to
scalp review their files instead of ours. Clearly this is not Jimmy in said suit but I like this look better.
Fresh out of
Michael Putland's darkroom is this lovely Micktych. I always felt a pic of Mick could go either way, he can look a bit unattractive, or he can look cute and dimply like he does here. Michael spent a lot of time with the Rolling Stones as their tour photographer in the 70's and is considered to have taken some of the better, more intimate images of the band.
Mick Jagger, 1973 © Michael Putland
In 1972 Michael was assigned to photograph David Bowie for Disc and Music Echo magazine. When he got round to the house, Bowie answered the door in his stage outfit from a couple of days before, and was in the middle of painting his living room. Yesterday, I called Putland but he couldn't talk, he was up a ladder, painting the living room.
View the feature.
I used to be the director and part owner of a photo agency and when we sold it I hoped the new owners, having bought an established brand, would cause the business to grow and change with the times. Curious about how that's going (I'm celebrating the anniversary of the sale this week), I've just read that they're launching a frozen yogurt full of "potentially beneficial bacteria that many believe have the potential to aid in good digestive health". That's a lot of potential.
A boy eating ice cream at the Kentucky State Fair, 1944 by Ed Clark © Time Inc.
Today, Estrellita Karsh is celebrating an important birthday. I won't get too schmaltzy (I can and often do) but Mrs Karsh is a truly special person of whom I am incredibly fond and feel very fortunate to work with. She is an absolute powerhouse and is ceaseless in her efforts to keep Yousuf's name and work in the public conscience. Happy Birthday Estrellita, here's to many more.
It's MLK Day here in the US, a federal holiday. Karsh photographed him in 1962, a year prior to the March on Washington. "This portrait was taken under the most difficult conditions. We had very little time, and the only place available was a corner of Mr King's church. Nowhere could he relax when he was constantly beset by friends and aides wishing him well, commiserating on his difficulties...planning new strategy. What emerged in my mind and, I trust, in the portrait, was the dedication of the man and his clear vision of ultimate victory."
Martin Luther King, 1962 © Yousuf Karsh
