Customer Reviews

The Essential Duane Michals

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If you love Duane Michals but don't have the money to buy all his books, this is definitely the book for you. It provides a broad overview of some of his most famous works with enlightening commentary by Marco Livingstone. I get so sick of art compliations with more commentary than there is art, but Livingstone's comments are brief and meaningful. And I don't mind mentioning that this Amazon price is just great. I was a doof and paid list price and now I wish I'd gone here first. Anyway, I would love to have all of Duane Michals' work but this book is wonderful and fits my budget much better.

Duane Michals has enthralled me for many years with his highly original take on the "world" of photography. It is about time that there is a wonderful compilation of some his most famous images. He gives depth to what is usually a one dimensional world (photography). His wit and sly way with double entendres and nuance are always FUN and funny and profoundly moving. He is to photography what David Hockney THINKS he is to the world of painting. Duane is the genuine article- a genius!!! Thank you so much for printing this book, is a good start. Need to start thinking about volume 2? While a lot of his images are related to attractive young men, he does not disinclude the sensual female form! His "essay" on the most sensual portions of the male and the female anatomy are funny, BUT, right TO the point, and real. PLEASE start working on volume 2!!!

Michals has gone steadily downhill for decades, but this book includes a lot of crap from the 80's and 90's. the ideas are gone by now, and the late work at best looks like sophomoric excercises in the "Michals style" . At worst they are sentimental portraits of the glamorous.