Michael Joseph (1941-) - Pool ladies: Swimming Opposite
05
days
22
hours
45
minutes
20
seconds
Current bid
€ 3
No reserve price
Expert
Selected by Kai Brückner
Over 35 years' experience; former gallery owner and Museum Folkwang curator.
Estimate € 650 - € 800
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|---|---|---|
 | €2 | |
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Description from the seller
Michael Joseph - Swimming Opposite!
C-type photographic print, 40 × 30 cm
A striking, dreamlike photographic composition that transforms an ordinary swimming scene into something almost surreal. Two figures float in dark, reflective water, their bodies positioned in contrasting directions while their raised arms create a powerful sense of symmetry and movement.
The monochrome treatment heightens the image’s atmosphere: ripples, reflections and fragmented highlights blur the boundary between body and water, giving the photograph an almost painterly quality. The result is both serene and visually arresting, with the title Swimming Opposite! adding a playful conceptual counterpoint to the image.
The photograph is presented as a 40 × 30 cm C-type print and bears the artist's handwritten title and signature in the lower margin.
A distinctive contemporary photographic work with strong wall presence, combining human movement, abstraction and the elemental beauty of water.
Medium: C-type photographic print
Dimensions: 40 × 30 cm
Title: Swimming Opposite!
Condition: Please inspect the photograph and margins for condition details
Signature: Hand-signed and titled in the lower margin
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer, active from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, and best known for his photographs for the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet gatefold.
My continuing mission is to share what we affectionately call “the other photographs”: the lesser-known treasures from his extraordinary archive — original darkroom prints, test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, his celebrated group compositions, and more intimate, personal images.
For this special Solo Seller Auction, I am particularly excited to include a selection from Michael’s 1964 Vietnam archive — photographs that have never previously been seen or offered for sale. These remarkable images reveal a very different side of his work, made when he was just 23 years old.
Alongside Michael’s authentic vintage darkroom prints, I am also presenting a new generation of works: striking prints on aluminium and my own handmade cyanotypes, created from his original negatives and transparencies in the Dordogne sunshine. Some are made on vintage photographic paper retrieved from Michael’s own working library, bringing the archive quite literally into a new generation.
Together, the collection brings photographic history and contemporary experimentation side by side — from unique vintage prints made by Michael himself to bold new interpretations of his remarkable archive.
I hope you enjoy discovering these photographs as much as I enjoy bringing them to light — sometimes preserved exactly as Michael made them, sometimes given an entirely new life.
All works are carefully protected and packed with the attention appropriate to collectible photographic artworks.
For US buyers: customs duties and applicable import charges are paid at source and included in the shipping cost. No additional charges should normally be payable on delivery, subject to any change in regulations.
Translated by Google TranslateMichael Joseph - Swimming Opposite!
C-type photographic print, 40 × 30 cm
A striking, dreamlike photographic composition that transforms an ordinary swimming scene into something almost surreal. Two figures float in dark, reflective water, their bodies positioned in contrasting directions while their raised arms create a powerful sense of symmetry and movement.
The monochrome treatment heightens the image’s atmosphere: ripples, reflections and fragmented highlights blur the boundary between body and water, giving the photograph an almost painterly quality. The result is both serene and visually arresting, with the title Swimming Opposite! adding a playful conceptual counterpoint to the image.
The photograph is presented as a 40 × 30 cm C-type print and bears the artist's handwritten title and signature in the lower margin.
A distinctive contemporary photographic work with strong wall presence, combining human movement, abstraction and the elemental beauty of water.
Medium: C-type photographic print
Dimensions: 40 × 30 cm
Title: Swimming Opposite!
Condition: Please inspect the photograph and margins for condition details
Signature: Hand-signed and titled in the lower margin
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer, active from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, and best known for his photographs for the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet gatefold.
My continuing mission is to share what we affectionately call “the other photographs”: the lesser-known treasures from his extraordinary archive — original darkroom prints, test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, his celebrated group compositions, and more intimate, personal images.
For this special Solo Seller Auction, I am particularly excited to include a selection from Michael’s 1964 Vietnam archive — photographs that have never previously been seen or offered for sale. These remarkable images reveal a very different side of his work, made when he was just 23 years old.
Alongside Michael’s authentic vintage darkroom prints, I am also presenting a new generation of works: striking prints on aluminium and my own handmade cyanotypes, created from his original negatives and transparencies in the Dordogne sunshine. Some are made on vintage photographic paper retrieved from Michael’s own working library, bringing the archive quite literally into a new generation.
Together, the collection brings photographic history and contemporary experimentation side by side — from unique vintage prints made by Michael himself to bold new interpretations of his remarkable archive.
I hope you enjoy discovering these photographs as much as I enjoy bringing them to light — sometimes preserved exactly as Michael made them, sometimes given an entirely new life.
All works are carefully protected and packed with the attention appropriate to collectible photographic artworks.
For US buyers: customs duties and applicable import charges are paid at source and included in the shipping cost. No additional charges should normally be payable on delivery, subject to any change in regulations.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Date of print
2025
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Pool ladies: Swimming Opposite
Condition
Original State
Technique
C-Print
Height
40 cm
Edition
Print from scan of original negative
Width
30 cm
Signature
Hand signed
Genre
Nude
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