Michael Joseph (1941-) - Twins and hunk
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Selected by Kai Brückner
Over 35 years' experience; former gallery owner and Museum Folkwang curator.
Estimate € 250 - € 300
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Description from the seller
Michael Joseph (b. 1941)
“Twins & Hunk” – London, 1980s
Original Vintage Darkroom Print
Silver gelatin print
Title and “London 1980s” hand-written by the photographer
Signed by Michael Joseph to the mount
Mount dimensions: 46cm high by 37cm wide
Condition: Very good vintage condition
Carefully packed and dispatched flat, fully protected
A strikingly sensual studio composition by Michael Joseph — demonstrating that the photographer known for grand banquets and elaborate group theatre was equally masterful when the subject turned intimate.
Titled “Twins & Hulk”, this London 1980s portrait is pared back, sculptural and unapologetically seductive. Three figures — two women and a central male — are arranged in a tight triangular embrace. The lighting is classic Joseph: dramatic, directional, and painterly, carving form from shadow and giving the bodies a near-Baroque presence. Flesh becomes texture; gaze becomes narrative.
Collectors will know Joseph for his spectacular staged productions — the lavish banquet scenes, the large-scale narrative advertising tableaux that required days of preparation and orchestration. But this image reveals another side: the same control of composition distilled into something intensely personal. The choreography is subtler here, yet no less deliberate. The tension lies in proximity, gesture and expression rather than spectacle.
Where the banquet photographer commands a crowd, here he commands stillness. The result is magnetic.
As with all Joseph’s work from this era, the image was achieved entirely in camera. No digital softening, no retouching, no post-production manipulation — simply lighting, direction, and precise darkroom craft. Hand-printed by the artist, the silver gelatin process gives the tones a depth and velvety richness that enhances the photograph’s sensual charge.
Bold, confident and unmistakably of its time, this is a superb example of Joseph’s versatility — proof that the architect of grand visual theatre could also create images of intimate power and allure.
A rare and highly collectable vintage print.
As always, this one-off historical piece will be packed with the utmost care and personal attention.
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Over those decades, he produced an extraordinary body of work—his most widely recognised image being the iconic Beggars Banquet gatefold for the Rolling Stones.
My ongoing mission is to share and celebrate what we call “the other photos”: the lesser-known but no less compelling images from his archive. These are the works that lived beyond the headlines—test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, and quieter, more personal photographs, all made with his characteristic intensity, discipline, and devotion to craft.
Much of their atmosphere comes from the darkroom itself. These are photographs shaped by light, timing, and handwork: intricate group compositions, sculptural still lifes, and moments that invite the viewer to linger and look again. Variety is central to the archive, and I frequently offer unique, one-off pieces that exist nowhere else.
I hope you enjoy discovering my father’s work as much as I enjoy sharing it, and that you find here not just an image, but a genuine piece of photographic history.
All works are dispatched carefully protected, and packed with devotion and care, appropriate to a one-off historical photographic print.
US purchasers please note: Customs and excise charges are paid at source and included in the postage fee. No further charges should be due on delivery, unless regulations change.
Michael Joseph (b. 1941)
“Twins & Hunk” – London, 1980s
Original Vintage Darkroom Print
Silver gelatin print
Title and “London 1980s” hand-written by the photographer
Signed by Michael Joseph to the mount
Mount dimensions: 46cm high by 37cm wide
Condition: Very good vintage condition
Carefully packed and dispatched flat, fully protected
A strikingly sensual studio composition by Michael Joseph — demonstrating that the photographer known for grand banquets and elaborate group theatre was equally masterful when the subject turned intimate.
Titled “Twins & Hulk”, this London 1980s portrait is pared back, sculptural and unapologetically seductive. Three figures — two women and a central male — are arranged in a tight triangular embrace. The lighting is classic Joseph: dramatic, directional, and painterly, carving form from shadow and giving the bodies a near-Baroque presence. Flesh becomes texture; gaze becomes narrative.
Collectors will know Joseph for his spectacular staged productions — the lavish banquet scenes, the large-scale narrative advertising tableaux that required days of preparation and orchestration. But this image reveals another side: the same control of composition distilled into something intensely personal. The choreography is subtler here, yet no less deliberate. The tension lies in proximity, gesture and expression rather than spectacle.
Where the banquet photographer commands a crowd, here he commands stillness. The result is magnetic.
As with all Joseph’s work from this era, the image was achieved entirely in camera. No digital softening, no retouching, no post-production manipulation — simply lighting, direction, and precise darkroom craft. Hand-printed by the artist, the silver gelatin process gives the tones a depth and velvety richness that enhances the photograph’s sensual charge.
Bold, confident and unmistakably of its time, this is a superb example of Joseph’s versatility — proof that the architect of grand visual theatre could also create images of intimate power and allure.
A rare and highly collectable vintage print.
As always, this one-off historical piece will be packed with the utmost care and personal attention.
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Over those decades, he produced an extraordinary body of work—his most widely recognised image being the iconic Beggars Banquet gatefold for the Rolling Stones.
My ongoing mission is to share and celebrate what we call “the other photos”: the lesser-known but no less compelling images from his archive. These are the works that lived beyond the headlines—test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, and quieter, more personal photographs, all made with his characteristic intensity, discipline, and devotion to craft.
Much of their atmosphere comes from the darkroom itself. These are photographs shaped by light, timing, and handwork: intricate group compositions, sculptural still lifes, and moments that invite the viewer to linger and look again. Variety is central to the archive, and I frequently offer unique, one-off pieces that exist nowhere else.
I hope you enjoy discovering my father’s work as much as I enjoy sharing it, and that you find here not just an image, but a genuine piece of photographic history.
All works are dispatched carefully protected, and packed with devotion and care, appropriate to a one-off historical photographic print.
US purchasers please note: Customs and excise charges are paid at source and included in the postage fee. No further charges should be due on delivery, unless regulations change.
Details
Date of print
1989
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Twins and hunk
Condition
Original State
Technique
Gelatin-silver print
Height
24.5 cm
Edition
Vintage edition in upcycled frame
Width
19 cm
Signature
Hand signed
Genre
Nude
Sold by
