Michaels, Duane. Duane Michals. An Exhibition of New Ideas in Photography, Painting and Photograph/Drawing. December 11, 1980 - January 6, 1981.

Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 1980. Ten black-and-white illustrations and list of 60 works exhibited. Includes examples of Michals' work in oil on photographs, as well as straight photographs. Wraps, very good fresh copy with bump on corner. Softcover.  

Duane Michals (1932–2026) was an influential American photographer who transformed mid-20th-century photography through his innovative use of narrative sequences and handwritten text overlaid onto prints. Emerging in the 1960s as a self-taught artist after initial training in graphic design, Michals departed from traditional photojournalism and formalist aesthetics to create staged, multi-frame stories that explored existential themes such as mortality, desire, memory, and spiritual identity. In addition to his groundbreaking fine art projects and widespread international exhibitions—including solo shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography—he was celebrated for his commercial work and intimate portraits of major cultural figures such as René Magritte, Andy Warhol, and Marcel Duchamp. Michals passed away in Manhattan on June 9, 2026, at the age of 94, leaving behind a legacy as one of modern photography's most singular storytellers.

An Exhibition of New Ideas in Photography, Painting and Photograph/Drawing is a 10-page exhibition catalog published by the Sidney Janis Gallery to accompany Duane Michals' solo exhibition that ran from December 11, 1980, through January 6, 1981.

Key Focus Areas

• The Artistic Transition: The catalog documents a pivotal moment of creative evolution for Michals. Known for his cinematic photo-sequences and handwritten text, this exhibition marked his boldest foray into mixed media by directly merging photography with traditional fine art techniques.

• The Interdisciplinary Approach: The catalog contains black-and-white reproductions that illustrate Michals' innovative experimentation. The works showcase a fluid dialogue between mediums, featuring silver gelatin prints that he hand-painted, illustrated over, or directly altered with ink and paint drawings.

• The Thematic Vision: By physically applying paint and drawings onto the photographic surface, Michals consciously subverted the traditional notion of photography as a purely objective recording tool. The catalog captures his efforts to expand the medium's boundaries, using the tactile layers of paint and ink to further explore his signature metaphysical themes of dreams, identity, memory, and the unseen human spirit.