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Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

British, 1947-1991

Michael Ormerod was born in Cheshire in 1947. He lived in Newcastle but spent many years traveling to America. Fascinated by the American image, and following in the footsteps of Robert Frank, Ormerod took to the American West to find a washed-out dream of capitalism. His images capture a strange juxtaposition of an American beauty tainted by a hidden sense of menace and corruption. Inverting the famous Hollywood sign, Ormerod photographs a Texaco sign from the back, dominating the empty, Western landscape. His photographs are those of the outsider, constantly traveling through a no-man’s-land. Ormerod’s book, States of America, was published shortly after he died to mark an exhibition held at the Zelda & Cheatle Gallery, London. Since then, only one major exhibition of his work has taken place in Sheffield in 2003. A reappraisal of his powerful and uncompromising chronicle of America is long overdue.

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Artist: Michael Ormerod
Bucking Bronco - Black and White Monochrome Large Photographic Print

Bucking Bronco - Black and White Monochrome Large Photographic Print

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

'Bucking Bronco' is a black and white photographic print by Michael Ormerod. Featured in the 2024 posthumous solo exhibition, 'Michael Ormerod: Vanishing Point'. Michael Ormerod w...

Category

20th Century American Realist Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White

African American Man on Street, 1989 - Black and White Photographic Print

African American Man on Street, 1989 - Black and White Photographic Print

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

African American Man on Street is a dramatic Black & White photographic print on Hahnemuhle Paper available in this size in an Edition of 10. States of America is the photographic legacy of one of the UK’s leading photographic talents whose untimely death in 1991 ended prematurely the highly promising career of a distinctive and powerful photographic voice. Michael Ormerod was born in Cheshire in 1947. He lived in Newcastle, but spent many years travelling America. Fascinated by the American image, and following in the footsteps of Robert Frank, Ormerod took to the American West to find a washed out dream of capitalism. His images capture a strange juxtaposition of an American beauty tainted by a hidden sense of menace and corruption. The photographs are understated, but show an unseen America, where the industrial heartland is decaying, highways stand empty and towns are deserted. The subjects of Ormerod’s work are the disenfranchised. A teenager cycles through her neighbourhood wearing a Halloween-style hockey mask, a Native American man stands in a graveyard, their expressions are unreadable. The work subverts traditional American icons. A white picket fence is staved in, a huge billboard for Miss Teen Dakota USA stands next to an empty highway. Inverting the famous Hollywood sign, Ormerod photographs a Texaco sign...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Color

Boy and Men on Horses - Black and White Photographic Print on Hahnemuhle Paper

Boy and Men on Horses - Black and White Photographic Print on Hahnemuhle Paper

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Boy and Men on Horses is a stunning Black and White photographic print on Hahnemuhle Paper, in this size of 24” x 34” in an edition of 10. States of America is the photographic lega...

Category

1980s Contemporary Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White

Child with Mask, Hillrose, Colorado, 1989 - Color Print on Hahnemuhle Paper

Child with Mask, Hillrose, Colorado, 1989 - Color Print on Hahnemuhle Paper

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Child with Mask, Hillrose, Colorado is a stunning Colour Print on Hahnemuhle Paper in an Edition of 20 in this size of 20" x 24". States of America is the photographic legacy of one...

Category

1980s Contemporary Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Color

Water Trails Down Empty Street in Front of Water Tower - Black and White Print

Water Trails Down Empty Street in Front of Water Tower - Black and White Print

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Water Trails down Empty Street in Front of Water Tower by Michael Ormerod is a black and white photographic print in this size of 24" x 34" in an Edition of 10. Michael Ormerod was ...

Category

20th Century American Realist Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White

Cars and Sheep, 1989 - Black and White Monochrome Large Photographic Print

Cars and Sheep, 1989 - Black and White Monochrome Large Photographic Print

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Cars and Sheep by Michael Ormerod is a 24" x 34" black and white photographic print in an edition of 10. Michael Ormerod was a British photographer with a distinct and powerful voic...

Category

20th Century American Realist Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White

Man and Red Arrow - Color Print on Hahnemuhle Paper

Man and Red Arrow - Color Print on Hahnemuhle Paper

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Man and Red Arrowby Michael Ormerod is a stunning Colour Print on Hahnemuehle Paper in an Edition of 20 in this size of 20" x 24". States of America: The body of work, States of Am...

Category

1980s Contemporary Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Color

Sandwich board in Street - Black and White Photographic Print

Sandwich board in Street - Black and White Photographic Print

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Sandwich Board in Street is a Black & White print on Hahnemuehle Paper available In this size of 24” x 34” in an edition of 10. Michael Ormerod was a British photographer with a dis...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White

Man Walking in Front of Building, Houston - Black and White Photographic Print

Man Walking in Front of Building, Houston - Black and White Photographic Print

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Man Walking in Front of Building, Houston is a stunning Black & White print on Hahnemuehle Paper available In this size of 24” x 34” in an edition of 10. Michael Ormerod was a Briti...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White

Man with Newspaper, 1989 - Black and White Photographic Print on Hahnemuhle

Man with Newspaper, 1989 - Black and White Photographic Print on Hahnemuhle

By Michael Ormerod

Located in Brighton, GB

Man with Newspaper is a Black & White print on Hahnemuehle Paper in this size of 24” x 34” in an edition of 10. Michael Ormerod was a British photographer with a distinct and powerf...

Category

1980s Contemporary Michael Ormerod Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White

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Edition of 10. Black & White print on Hahnemuehle Paper. The body of work, States of America, is the photographic legacy of one of the UK’s leading photographic talents whose untimely death in 1991 ended prematurely the highly promising career of a distinctive and powerful photographic voice. Michael Ormerod was born in Cheshire in 1947. He lived in Newcastle, but spent many years travelling America. Fascinated by the American image, and following in the footsteps of Robert Frank, Ormerod took to the American West to find a washed out dream of capitalism. His images capture a strange juxtaposition of an American beauty tainted by a hidden sense of menace and corruption. The photographs are understated, but show an unseen America, where the industrial heartland is decaying, highways stand empty and towns are deserted. The subjects of Ormerod’s work are the disenfranchised. A teenager cycles through her neighbourhood wearing a Halloween-style hockey mask, a Native American man stands in a graveyard, their expressions are unreadable. The work subverts traditional American icons. A white picket fence is staved in, a huge billboard for Miss Teen Dakota USA stands next to an empty highway. Inverting the famous Hollywood sign, Ormerod photographs a Texaco sign...

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Michael Ormerod portrait photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Michael Ormerod portrait photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of portrait photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Michael Ormerod in paper, photographic paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Michael Ormerod portrait photography, so small editions measuring 24 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Paul Greenberg, Colm Henry, and Chris Stein. Michael Ormerod portrait photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,160 and tops out at $1,856, while the average work can sell for $1,856.