Michael Joseph (1941-) - Pool ladies in cozzies between takes
02
days
10
hours
59
minutes
34
seconds
Current bid
€ 10
No reserve price
Expert
Selected by Kai Brückner
Over 35 years' experience; former gallery owner and Museum Folkwang curator.
Estimate € 600 - € 800
18 other people are watching this object
 Bidder 5178 | €10 | |
|---|---|---|
 Bidder 8196 | €1 |
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 128340 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Description from the seller
“Office Colour Pool Ladies” — Test Print by Michael Joseph
Photo-quality laser print (Ricoh)
Mounted, framed and studio-assembled
An intoxicating collision of glamour, artifice and saturated heat.
Office Colour Pool Ladies hums with theatrical voltage — lacquered limbs, black swimsuits, white caps and multiplied reflections dissolving into neon pinks and electric aquatic blues. Bodies recline and intersect in a composition that feels part Busby Berkeley choreography, part midnight editorial reverie — sensual, stylised and knowingly constructed.
This is not a traditional darkroom print. It is a studio test print, produced on photo-quality paper using a Ricoh laser printer — a working proof that captures Joseph’s fascination with surface, gloss and unapologetic colour in a later experimental phase of his practice. The saturation pushes toward the surreal; skin takes on an almost enamelled sheen beneath magenta light, becoming both flesh and object, both presence and design.
The ornate classical frame heightens the drama — its carved detailing acting as a deliberate counterpoint to the hyper-modern palette within. Beneath the print lies a sheet of black material which is, in fact, a salvaged plastic bag once used to store light-sensitive darkroom paper (likely Ilford or Kodak). A quiet studio relic, subtly referencing the analogue lineage beneath the high-gloss spectacle.
The reverse is clad with one of Joseph’s Christie’s posters, anchoring the work within his exhibition and auction history.
There is a knowing decadence here — reflective surfaces, mirrored forms, bodies poised between discipline and indulgence. The image sits in conversation with artists who have embraced staged sensuality and chromatic excess — from Helmut Newton’s polished erotics to David LaChapelle’s hyper-saturated theatrical worlds — yet it remains unmistakably Joseph in its compositional wit and controlled exuberance.
Condition note: a small glue fingerprint is visible (highlighted in the photographs). The frame requires glazing; I do not ship with glass in place to avoid risk of breakage in transit.
A bold, provocative and unapologetically vibrant piece — equally at home in a creative office, contemporary interior, or statement wall setting.
As with all pieces I sell, it will be packaged with great care and devotion, honouring both the history of the work and the craftsmanship behind it.
#NeonChoreography
#LacqueredLimbs
#MagentaVoltage
#SaturatedSeduction
#PoolsideReverie
#MirroredDesire
#AquaticDecadence
#ChromaticExcess
#StudioOpulence
#HighGlossHeat
#ConstructedFantasy
#VelvetAfterDark
#ElectricTableau
#HyperRealGlamour
#TheatreOfColour
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.
“Office Colour Pool Ladies” — Test Print by Michael Joseph
Photo-quality laser print (Ricoh)
Mounted, framed and studio-assembled
An intoxicating collision of glamour, artifice and saturated heat.
Office Colour Pool Ladies hums with theatrical voltage — lacquered limbs, black swimsuits, white caps and multiplied reflections dissolving into neon pinks and electric aquatic blues. Bodies recline and intersect in a composition that feels part Busby Berkeley choreography, part midnight editorial reverie — sensual, stylised and knowingly constructed.
This is not a traditional darkroom print. It is a studio test print, produced on photo-quality paper using a Ricoh laser printer — a working proof that captures Joseph’s fascination with surface, gloss and unapologetic colour in a later experimental phase of his practice. The saturation pushes toward the surreal; skin takes on an almost enamelled sheen beneath magenta light, becoming both flesh and object, both presence and design.
The ornate classical frame heightens the drama — its carved detailing acting as a deliberate counterpoint to the hyper-modern palette within. Beneath the print lies a sheet of black material which is, in fact, a salvaged plastic bag once used to store light-sensitive darkroom paper (likely Ilford or Kodak). A quiet studio relic, subtly referencing the analogue lineage beneath the high-gloss spectacle.
The reverse is clad with one of Joseph’s Christie’s posters, anchoring the work within his exhibition and auction history.
There is a knowing decadence here — reflective surfaces, mirrored forms, bodies poised between discipline and indulgence. The image sits in conversation with artists who have embraced staged sensuality and chromatic excess — from Helmut Newton’s polished erotics to David LaChapelle’s hyper-saturated theatrical worlds — yet it remains unmistakably Joseph in its compositional wit and controlled exuberance.
Condition note: a small glue fingerprint is visible (highlighted in the photographs). The frame requires glazing; I do not ship with glass in place to avoid risk of breakage in transit.
A bold, provocative and unapologetically vibrant piece — equally at home in a creative office, contemporary interior, or statement wall setting.
As with all pieces I sell, it will be packaged with great care and devotion, honouring both the history of the work and the craftsmanship behind it.
#NeonChoreography
#LacqueredLimbs
#MagentaVoltage
#SaturatedSeduction
#PoolsideReverie
#MirroredDesire
#AquaticDecadence
#ChromaticExcess
#StudioOpulence
#HighGlossHeat
#ConstructedFantasy
#VelvetAfterDark
#ElectricTableau
#HyperRealGlamour
#TheatreOfColour
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
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Pool ladies in cozzies between takes
Condition
Original State
Technique
Digital print
Height
35 cm
Edition
Unique office test print in upcycled mixed-copper patina frame
Width
24.5 cm
Signature
Not signed
Genre
Fine art photography
Sold by
