Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich.~ Iconic Portraits with John Malkovich subbed in.

At the age of sixteen, upon seeing the work of Irving Penn, Sandro Miller knew he wanted to become a photographer. (I totally get it, Penn is my favourite photographer) Mostly self-taught, Sandro relied on books published by many of the great artists canonized in photographic history.  Through their pictures, he learned the art of composition, lighting and portraiture. More than 30 years later, with clients ranging from Forbes, GQ and Esquire, to American Express, Coca-Cola and BMW, Sandro has secured his place as one of the top advertising photographers worldwide. 

 In 2013, Sandro decided to do a project honoring the men and women whose photographs helped shape his career. After selecting thirty-five images to emulate, Sandro contacted Malkovich, who instantly agreed to participate. When speaking about Malkovich, Sandro states: “John is the most brilliant, prolific person I know. His genius is unparalleled. I can suggest a mood or an idea and within moments, he literally morphs into the character right in front of my eyes. He is so trusting of my work and our process… I’m truly blessed to have him as my friend and collaborator.” (via edelman gallery)

Andy Warhol / Self Portrait (Fright Wig) (1986) &  2014

Migrant Mother photograph by Dorothea Lange 1936 & 2014

Albert Watson / Alfred Hitchcock with Goose (1973) & 2014

"John is the most brilliant, prolific person I know. His genius is unparalleled. I can suggest a mood or an idea and within moments, he literally morphs into the character right in front of my eyes. He is so trusting of my work and our process… I’m truly blessed to have him as my friend and collaborator." ~ Sandro Miller

Alberto Korda / Che Guevara (1960) & 2014

Annie Leibovitz / John Lennon and Yoko Ono (1980) & 2014

Irving Penn ~ Pablo Picasso,Cannes,France(1957) & 2014

Arthur Sasse / Albert Einstein Sticking Out His Tongue (1951) & 2014

Bert Stern / Marilyn in Pink Roses (from The Last Session, 1962), 2014

David Bailey / Mick Jagger “Fur Hood” (1964), 2014

Gordon Parks / American Gothic, Washington, D.C. (1942), 2014

Herb Ritts / Jack Nicholson, London (1988) (A), 2014

Diane Arbus / Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey (1967), 2014

Philippe Halsman / Salvador Dalí (1954), 2014

Yousuf Karsh / Ernest Hemingway (1957), 2014

Evelyn McHale | ‘The Most Beautiful Suicide’ Photograph

On May Day, just after leaving her fiancé, 23-year-old Evelyn McHale wrote a note. ‘He is much better off without me … I wouldn’t make a good wife for anybody,’ … Then she crossed it out. She went to the observation platform of the Empire State Building. Through the mist she gazed at the street, 86 floors below. Then she jumped. In her desperate determination she leaped clear of the setbacks and hit a United Nations limousine parked at the curb. Across the street photography student Robert Wiles heard an explosive crash. Just four minutes after Evelyn McHale’s death Wiles got this picture of death’s violence and its composure. The serenity of McHale’s body amidst the crumpled wreckage it caused is astounding. Years later, Andy Warhol appropriated Wiles’ photography for a print called Suicide (Fallen Body).

Evelyn McHale | ‘The Most Beautiful Suicide’ (Life Magazine, 1947) Photo by Robert C. Wiles

Evelyn, still clutching a pearl necklace, looks disarmingly placid and composed – as if simply asleep. Around her, however, the broken glass and crumpled sheet metal of a car roof show the brutally destructive evidence of her 1050 ft jump. Some 60 years later the photo remains as haunting and affecting as when it was first published.

Around 10:40 am Patrolman John Morrissey, directing traffic at Thirty-fourth Street and Fifth Avenue, noticed a white scarf floating down from the upper floors of the building. Moments later he heard a crash and saw a crowd converge on 34th street. Evelyn had jumped, cleared the setbacks, and landed on the roof of a United Nations Assembly Cadillac limousine parked on 34th street, some 200 ft west of Fifth Ave.

Across the street, Robert C. Wiles, a student photographer, also noticed the commotion and rushed to the scene where he took several photos, including this one, some four minutes after her death. Later, on the observation deck, Detective Frank Murray found her tan (or maybe gray, reports differ) cloth coat neatly folded over the observation deck wall, a brown make-up kit filled with family pictures and a black pocketbook with the note which read:

“I don’t want anyone in or out of my family to see any part of me. Could you destroy my body by cremation? I beg of you and my family – don’t have any service for me or remembrance for me. My fiance asked me to marry him in June. I don’t think I would make a good wife for anybody. He is much better off without me. Tell my father, I have too many of my mother’s tendencies.. [via codex99.com]

Andy Warhol ~Suicide (Fallen Body). 1962


May, 1947 issue of LIFE Magazine

Evelyn incorrectly reported to be 20 years old. ( she was 23)
NY Times, May 2, 1947
Codex 99 did some research on McHale and her activities on the day she died.

ANDY WARHOL POLAROIDS

Warhol once said everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. Having your portrait done by Andy certainly helped.

The Polaroids behind Andy Warhol’s iconic portraits of stars such as Muhammad Ali, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, John Lennon and even Wayne Gretzsky can be seen in this post.

Before creating the iconic screen prints of the stars of stage and screen, Warhol would take a selection of photographs of them with an instant Polaroid camera, which would then be used as the basis of the final works of art.

 John Lennon

Muhammad Ali

Debbie Harry

Mick Jagger

Dolly Parton

Wayne Gretzky

Dennis Hopper

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Maria Shriver

Sylvester Stallone

Farrah Fawcett

Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1982 

Artist Robert Rauschenberg

Jerry Hall

 Warhol in drag

John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neal

Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, 1983

Andy Warhol self portrait

Muhammad Ali

Grace Jones

Yves Saint Laurent

Giorgio Armani

Gianni Versace

Valentino

Designer Gianfranco Ferre

Warhol

Truman Capote

 Shoemaker

Keith Haring and Juan Dubose

Some dude

Grace Jones

Jane Fonda

Jimmy Carter

 OJ Simpson

Arnold Palmer

Artsist Joseph Beuys

Dancer Martha Graham

Ric Ocasek

Diana Ross

Ted Kennedy

Bianca Jagger

Carolina Herrera

Pelé

Model Evelyn Kuhn

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Truman Capote

 Sean Lennon

Yoko Ono

(right) Pia Zadora

Tom Seaver (left)

Billy Squire (looks like Antonio Banderas)

Dorothy Hamill

Howdy Doody

Caroline, Princess of monaco', 1983

Debbie Harry

Liza Minnelli

Carly Simon

Pig

Warhol in drag 

Mick Jagger

Joan Collins

Helen/Harry Morales

Artist Georgia O'keeffe

Hitchcock

Chris Evert

William S. Buroughs

Paloma Picasso

Warhol in Drag

Wish to make a Andy Warhol pop art image of one of your photos? 

Go to photobucket.com and create an account (if you don't already have one), upload your pic and go to edit, then go to effects and select pop art. Or you can go to lunapic.com and upload your pic and under effects and click Warhol Effect. Photobucket is the better of the two. Have fun!




Many thanks to Branko Mustafovic for the tip on this post idea. Cheers!