Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

Vik Muniz
Vik Muniz Memory Rendering of John John (Vik Muniz The Best of Life)

1989

$5,000
£3,841.31
€4,413.63
CA$7,033.12
A$7,901.39
CHF 4,128.49
MX$96,440.21
NOK 52,419.77
SEK 49,342.17
DKK 32,936.13

About the Item

Vik Muniz Memory Rendering of John John (Vik Muniz The Best of Life): 'John John' is a selection from Vik Muniz's The Best of LIFE series from 1989. Muniz's Best of Life series marked a seminal point in Muniz’s career - one that was defined by his fascination with the concept of the “image within”—the image that people hold in their memories—a motif that Muniz has continued to explore throughout his career. Silver gelatin print. 1989. 11 x 14 inches (including boarders). Some minor soiling marks, signs of handling and creasing to upper right corner; in otherwise good overall vintage condition. Unsigned proof aside from the main edition of 10. Provenance: acquired directly from Fernando Natalici- master printer who worked with Muniz on the execution of this series. Accompanied by a COA from Vik Muniz studio. Related auction history: Phillips Photographs New York, 2017. Collections: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vik Muniz The Best of Life: a history: "Muniz, new to the United States in 1983, purchased the book The Best of LIFE at a garage sale in Chicago. It became a source of comfort and connection to his new surroundings. According to the artist, “The Best of LIFE was the only ‘family’ reference I had at the time. I learned to love those images. The Margaret Bourke-Whites, the Alfred Eisenstaedts - the feeling of sharing a picture, the sensations that two or more people know the same thing, live the same moment.” The concept that other people, even strangers, could all connect to the familiarity of these ‘known’ images was not only a comfort, but increasingly intriguing to Muniz. After losing the beloved book in 1987 Muniz began to try and recall the images from his memory, writing and drawing his recollections of them. During these recreations the actual images were never referenced and he was able to truly delve into the concept of the “image within” finding that everyone remembered the images differently, even if by only subtle differences. “I discovered that people store images in radically different ways: their descriptions had a completely different structure than mine. The visual world is like a crossword puzzle: we all have the same puzzle but each of us solves it differently.” After working on the drawings for two years Muniz felt that his memory renderings were still not fully realized in their current state. In turn, he photographed the drawings and then gently manipulated the photos by softening their appearance. To further synthesize the series, he printed the photographs with a halftone screen that many publications use in printing. By bringing his memories of the iconic images back to their original state—photographs printed in halftone—viewers are able to recognize the images while simultaneously knowing they are more ‘pictures of thought’ than the actual photos themselves, bringing into question the veracity of our own memories of the images and events. As Muniz stated, “What I did with The Best of LIFE series was to make these very subjective, transparent images more objective and opaque by adding more interpretive layers.” This is a seminal series for the artist perfectly articulating his desires to not only explore his own fascination with visual memory, but to connect to all who experience the images." (Source: Phillips) Artist bio: Mixed-media artist Vik Muniz recreates historical artworks with unusual materials, then photographs the results. He’s previously used chocolate, sugar, trash, and toys to appropriate and reinterpret the work of artists ranging from Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko to Caravaggio and Jacques-Louis David. Muniz has exhibited in New York, London, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo, among other cities. His work belongs in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Contemporary Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. In addition to his mixed-media works, Muniz has also starred in )Waste Land_ (2010)—an Oscar-nominated film about garbage pickers at a Brazilian landfill—and led a number of social justice–oriented projects that focus on education and development in his native Brazil. In 2001, the artist represented the country at the Venice Biennale. Related Catagories: Black and white photograph. Contemporary photograph. JFK. Vik Muniz. Abstract. Surreal.
  • Creator:
    Vik Muniz (1961, Brazilian)
  • Creation Year:
    1989
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    NEW YORK, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU354310687582

More From This Seller

View All
Photograph of Vik Muniz New York, 1987
By Fernando Natalici
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Vik Muniz, New York, NY, 1987 by Fernando Natalici Within this exquisite portrait of a young Vik Muniz, Natalici cuts, then reconstructs the original film negative to allow one side...
Category

1980s Pop Art Black and White Photography

Materials

Inkjet

Fernando Natalici The Foreigner New York 1978
By Fernando Natalici
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Fernando Natalici The Foreigner New York 1978: A vintage original film still shot on the set of the seminal 70's Manhattan art scene film, "The Foreigner," by celebrated downtown pho...
Category

1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Robert Longo Men In The Cities announcement 1985
By Robert Longo
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Robert Longo Men in the Cities: Rare original 1985 announcement card published on the occasion of: Men In The Cities from November 9 - December 7, 1985 at Brooke Alexander, Inc.; 59...
Category

1980s Pop Art More Art

Materials

Offset

John Baldessari Sonnabend Gallery 1981 (announcement)
By John Baldessari
Located in NEW YORK, NY
John Baldessari, Sonnabend Gallery New York 1981: Rare early 1980s John Baldessari exhibition announcement published on the occasion of: "Shape Derived from Subject (Snake): Used as ...
Category

1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Signed John Baldessari print 1991 (Baldessari Love and Work)
By John Baldessari
Located in NEW YORK, NY
John Baldessari Love and Work 1991: Baldessari’s Love & Work 1991, photogravure and color aquatint, features clasped hands clutching surrealistically amidst a black background. Classic, timeless Baldessari imagery that is sure to work well in any setting. Medium: Color photogravure and aquatint on wove paper. 1991. Dimensions: 26 x 11.5 inches. Well-preserved and in very good overall condition. Framed in acrylic plexiglass. One of the 15 numbered artist's proofs, aside from the general edition of 60. Signed, inscribed "A.P." and numbered 12/15 in pencil, lower margin. Published by Brooke Alexander, Inc., New York. Collections: MoMa New York John Baldessari: It is hard to characterize John Baldessari's varied practice—which includes photomontage, artist’s books, prints, paintings, film, performance, and installation—except through his approach of good-humored irreverence. Baldessari is commonly associated with Conceptual or Minimalist art, though he has called this characterization “a little bit boring.” His two-dimensional works often incorporate found images, composed in layers or presented as distinct pieces with an element of surprise, like a brightly colored geometric shape in the place of a face or a starkly printed sardonic caption. Baldessari has demonstrated a lasting interest in language and semantics, articulating these concerns through the use of puns or the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated images and words, as in his 1978 work Blasted Allegories. His self-referencing photomontages and use of text have been sources of inspiration for countless artists, including Cindy Sherman, David Salle, and Barbara Kruger. Baldessari identifies his own artistic lineage, saying, "I would prefer to go to the source with Duchamp rather than credit Warhol as an influence." Related Categories: Surrealist. Ed Ruscha. Los Angeles. Conceptual art. Photography. Minimalist. John Baldessari prints.
Category

1990s Pop Art Photography

Materials

Aquatint, Photogravure, Lithograph, Screen

Patti Astor The Foreigner 1977 film still (Amos Poe The Foreigner)
By Fernando Natalici
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Fernando Natalici Patti Astor The Foreigner New York 1977: Actress and legendary downtown NY scenester Patti Astor, photographed during the filming of "The Foreigner" by celebrated N...
Category

1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

You May Also Like

black and white photography of blurred urban landscape with man
By Luis Mallo
Located in New York, NY
Cuban photographer, Luis Mallo roams city streets taking pictures of obstructed urban landscapes, as shown in this evocative work. Leaving much to the imagination, the artist reveals...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Louis Brooks
By Vik Muniz
Located in Miami, FL
Vik Muñiz "Louis Brooks" 2005 Picture of diamonds ( Digital C-Print: A photographic print made from a color negative or slide). Ed. 3 of 10 40 x 30 in Signed, named, and numbered on...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Prints

Materials

C Print

Vintage Silver Gelatin Print Photograph Marcus Leatherdale Shrouded Figure Photo
Located in Surfside, FL
Marcus Leatherdale (1952 - 2022) Silver gelatin print with copper leaf mount 1987 Titled: High Priest. From the Demigod series. Hand signed and dated and bears artist studio stamp verso. Provenance: Greathouse Gallery (with label & information verso) Edition: 1 of 10. Dimensions mage measures 12" x 5", total measurements are 24" x 13" Marcus Leatherdale was a Canadian portrait photographer. Marcus Andrew Leatherdale was born on 18 September 1952, in Montreal, Canada, to Jack Leatherdale, a veterinarian, and Grace Leatherdale, a homemaker. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute. Leatherdale arrived in New York City in 1978, where he attended the School of Visual Arts. started his career in New York City during the early eighties, setting up a studio on Grand Street. Leatherdale first served as Robert Mapplethorpe office manager for a while and was photographed in the nude by the master, grabbing a rope with his right hand and holding a rabbit in his left. Thereafter he worked as an assistant curator to Sam Wagstaff. He soon became a darling of the then vibrant club scene and the fashionable media: Interview, Details, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Elle Decor presented his work. Later on he was featured in artsy publications as Artforum, Art News, and Art in America. Leatherdale was the Cecil Beaton of downtown New York, He photographed a not-yet-famous club kid named Madonna in her ripped jeans and his denim vest. The performance artist Leigh Bowery was majestic in a tinseled mask, a corset and a merkin. Andy Warhol was a Hamlet in a black turtleneck. Susanne Bartsch, the nightlife impressaria, was a towering presence in red leather. He documented the New York City lifestyle, the extraordinary people of Danceteria and Club 57 where he staged his first exhibits in 1980. Leatherdale was an acute observer of the New York City of the nineteen eighties. His models were the unknown but exceptional ones – like Larissa, Claudia Summers or Ruby Zebra – or well known artists – like Madonna, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Winston Tong and Divine, Trisha Brown, Lisa Lyon, Andrée Putman, Kathy Acker and Sydney Biddle Barrows, otherwise known as the Mayflower Madam, Jodie Foster, and fellow photographer John Dugdale. He Married Claudia Summers, theirs was not a traditional marriage, but they were best friends, and he was Canadian, so it made life easier if they wed. His boyfriend for a time was Robert Mapplethorpe, whose photography studio Mr. Leatherdale also managed. He and Mapplethorpe were a striking pair, dressed like twins in leather and denim, their faces as if painted by Caravaggio, and they often photographed each other. Jean-Michel Basquiat was often hanging out there, playing his bongo drums; so were friends like Cookie Mueller, the doomed, gimlet-eyed author and Details magazine contributor who was for a time Mapplethorpe’s and Ms. Summers’ drug dealer, and Kathy Acker, the performance artist and novelist. For quite a while Leatherdale remained in Mapplethorpe's shadow, but was soon discovered as a creative force in his own right by Christian Michelides, the founder of Molotov Art Gallery in Vienna. Leatherdale flew to Vienna, presented his work there and was acclaimed by public and press. This international recognition paved his way to museums and permanent collections such as the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Australian National Gallery in Canberra, the London Museum in London, Ontario, and Austria's Albertina. He was included in the MoMA exhibit New York/New Wave along with Kenny Scharf, William Burroughs, John Crash Matos, Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, Lawrence Weiner and Stephen Sprouse. Above all, his arresting portraits of New York City celebrities in the series Hidden Identities aroused long-lasting interest amongst curators and collectors. In 1993, Leatherdale began spending half of each year in India's holy city of Banaras. Based in an ancient house in the centre of the old city, he began photographing the diverse and remarkable people there, from the holy men to celebrities, from royalty to tribals, carefully negotiating his way among some of India's most elusive figures to make his portraits. From the outset, his intention was to pay homage to the timeless spirit of India through a highly specific portrayal of its individuals. His pictures include princesses and boatmen, movie stars and circus performers, and street beggars and bishops, mothers and children in traditional garb. Leatherdale explored how essentially unaffected much of the country was by the passage of time; and it has been remarked upon that this approach is distinctly post-colonial. In 1999, Leatherdale relocated to Chotanagpur (Jharkhand) where he focusing upon the Adivasis. Later Serra da Estrela in the mountains of central Portugal became his second home base. Leatherdale's matte printing techniques, which adapt nineteenth-century processes and employ half black, half sepia colorations, reinforce the timelessness of his subjects. Tones and matte surfaces effectively differentiate his portraits from the easy slickness of fashion photography. In 2019, Mr. Leatherdale compiled his work from 80s in a book entitled “Out of the Shadows”, written with Claudia Summers. During his time in New York City, he dated Robert Mapplethorpe, whose photography studio Leatherdale managed. His partner of two decades, Jorge Serio, died in July 2021 Major exhibitions 1980 Urban Women, Club 57, NYC 1980 Danceteria, NYC 1981 Stilvende, NYC 1982 The Clock Tower, PS1, NYC 1982 544 Natoma Gallery, San Francisco 1982 Eiko And Koma, Stilvende, NYC 1983 Form And Function Gallery, Atlanta 1983 Galerie in der GGK Wien, Vienna, Austria 1983 The Ring, Vienna (organized by Molotov) 1983 London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario, Canada 1984 Performance, Greathouse Gallery, NYC 1984 Social Segments, Grey Art Gallery, NYU 1984 Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn 1985 Ritual, Greathouse Gallery, NYC 1985 Artinzer, Munich 1985 Leatherdale/Noguchi, Gallery 291, Atlanta 1985 Paul Cava Gallery, Philadelphia 1986 Poison Ivy, Greathouse Gallery, NYC 1986 Wessel O’Connor Gallery, Rome 1986 Hidden Identities, Michael Todd Gallery, Palladium, NYC 1987 Demigods, Greathouse Gallery, NYC 1987 Collier Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona 1987 Tunnel Gallery, NYC 1988 Claus Runkel Fine Art Ltd., London, UK 1988 Madison Art Center, Madison 1989 Wessel-O’Connor Gallery, NYC 1989 Summer Night Festival, Onikoube, Sendai 1990 Bent Sikkema Fine Art, NYC 1990 Fahey-Klein Gallery, Los Angeles 1990 Faye Gold Gallery, Atlanta 1990 Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles 1991 Runkel Hue-Williams Gallery, London 1991 Galerie Michael Neumann, Düsseldorf 1991 Arthur Rogers Gallery, New Orleans 1992 Arthur Rogers, NYC 1992 Galerie Del Conte, Milwaukee 1993 Galerie Bardamu, NYC 1996 Fayf Gold Gallery, Atlanta 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Bridgewater/Lustberg, NYC 1998 Rai Krishna Das...
Category

1980s 85 New Wave Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Brave (Kings Road) - unique solarized gelatin silver artist print
By Mona Kuhn
Located in San Francisco, CA
In Kings Road (2022) Mona Kuhn lyrically reconsiders the realms of time and space within the midcentury architectural elements of the iconic Schindler House in Los Angeles. Built by Austrian architect Rudolph M. Schindler in 1922, the house was both a social and design experiment and an avant-garde hub for intellectuals and artists in the 1920s and ’30s. The body of works incorporates chromogenic color prints, reflecting vignettes and materials of the building's emotional architecture, juxtaposition with unique solarized gelatin silver prints capturing traces of an ethereal human presence. Brave (2022) Kings Road: A Rudolph Schindler House 30" x 40" / 76cm x 102cm /edition of 12 15" x 20" / 38cm x 56cm / edition of 12 limited edition solarization photograph printed by the artist + accompanied by signed artist certificate: artist signature label (8x10") signed/editioned/dated/titled by the artist + stamped for authenticity label is placed centered on verso of the mounted print __________________ About the artist Acclaimed for her contemporary depictions, Kuhn is considered a leading artist in the world of figurative discourse. Throughout a career spanning more than twenty years, the underlying theme of her work is her reflection on humanity’s longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As she solidified her photographic style, Kuhn created a notable approach to the nude by developing friendships with her subjects, and employing a range of playful visual strategies that use natural light and minimalist settings to evoke a sublime sense of comfort between the human figure and its environment. Her work is natural, restful, and a reinterpretation of the nude in the canon of contemporary art. For the past two decades, the Los-Angeles based artist's works have been shown steadily, revealing an astonishing consistency in technique, of subject and of purpose. In 2001, Kuhn’s photographs were first seen by an influential audience during the exhibition at Charles Cowles Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Kuhn’s distinct aesthetic has propelled her as one of the most collectible contemporary art photographers—her work is in private and public collections worldwide and she is represented by galleries across the United States, Europe and Asia. Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. In 1989, Kuhn moved to the US and earned her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Occasionally, Mona teaches at UCLA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debuted by Steidl in 2004; followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), Bordeaux Series (2011), Private (2014), and She Disappeared into Complete Silence (2018/19). In addition, Stanley/Barker Editions published Kuhn's Bushes & Succulents in 2018. In 2021, Thames & Hudson published a career retrospective titled Works. Kuhn's most recent publication Kings Road (2022) with Steidl accompanies a multi-dimensional museum traveling exhibition shown in Europe and the US. Mona Kuhn’s work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, Perez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Kiyosato Museum in Japan. Kuhn's work has been exhibited at The Louvre Museum and Le Bal in Paris; The Whitechapel Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London; Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland; Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, The Polygon Gallery in Vancouver Canada, Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan and Australian Centre for Photography. Mona Kuhn lives and works in Los Angeles. __________________ Solo Exhibitions 2025 Mona Kuhn: Y Tu Desnudo será Un Gran Poema, Museum of Contemporary Art, Malaga, Spain Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Lianzhou Museum of Photography, China 2024 Mona Kuhn: The Schindler House, A Love Affair, Galerie XII...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Untitled 70, Calvin Klein, Fashion Black & White Archival Print
By Arslan Sükan
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Sükan created the series as he was working for international magazines such as L'Uomo Vogue (Italy), A Magazine (France), Crash (France), Faces (Switzerland), and Muse Magazine (Ital...
Category

2010s Contemporary Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Vintage Silver Gelatin Photograph Surrealist Doll Art Photo, Jazz Photographer
Located in Surfside, FL
These were from a show of her work. Influenced by Surrealism and Dada Photographs these are images of old children's dolls in various states of decay. These bear the influence of Ha...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin