Michael Joseph (1941-) - Mozambique Bullfight - Escaping the Bull - unique darkroom print

00
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14
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51
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41
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Current bid
€ 30
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Kai Brückner
Expert
Selected by Kai Brückner

Over 35 years' experience; former gallery owner and Museum Folkwang curator.

Estimate  € 850 - € 1,050
FR
€30
PL
€27
FR
€24

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Escaping the Bull by Michael Joseph, a 1969 gelatin-silver print.

AI-assisted summary

Description from the seller

Escaping the Bull – Mozambique

Photographer: Michael Joseph
Medium: Original vintage darkroom photograph
Title: Escaping the Bull
From the Michael Joseph Archive

Sometimes the most memorable photograph is the moment when everything goes wrong.

In this wonderfully spontaneous image, Michael Joseph catches a bullfighter in full flight — quite literally — scrambling over the barrier as the bull charges beneath him. One leg is already safely over; the other is still airborne. Above, spectators lean forward to watch the drama unfold.

The composition is almost comic in its perfection: the bull anchors the bottom of the frame while the fleeing figure seems momentarily suspended in mid-air. It is a photograph filled with movement, danger, humour and impeccable timing.

The handwritten title, Escaping the Bull, adds enormously to its charm. Rather than the formal spectacle of bullfighting, Michael has captured its unpredictable human side — the instant when bravado gives way to self-preservation.

An authentic vintage darkroom photograph from Michael Joseph’s early archive, retaining the tonal character, surface and imperfections of a photograph made by hand.

A wonderfully unconventional image — and a superb example of Michael Joseph’s instinct for being ready when the unexpected happened.

Please note that an AI-generated simulation showing the photograph framed and displayed on a wall has been included purely to illustrate how the work might look in an interior setting. Scale and proportions are approximate and the simulation is intended as a visual guide only.

The photograph is sold unframed. Thank you for your understanding.

#MichaelJoseph #EscapingTheBull #Bullfight #Bullfighting #Mozambique #VintagePhotography #VintagePhotograph #DarkroomPrint #SilverGelatinPrint #FineArtPhotography #PhotographyCollector #CollectiblePhotography #ArchivePhotography #DocumentaryPhotography #MichaelJosephArchive

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 Translate

Escaping the Bull – Mozambique

Photographer: Michael Joseph
Medium: Original vintage darkroom photograph
Title: Escaping the Bull
From the Michael Joseph Archive

Sometimes the most memorable photograph is the moment when everything goes wrong.

In this wonderfully spontaneous image, Michael Joseph catches a bullfighter in full flight — quite literally — scrambling over the barrier as the bull charges beneath him. One leg is already safely over; the other is still airborne. Above, spectators lean forward to watch the drama unfold.

The composition is almost comic in its perfection: the bull anchors the bottom of the frame while the fleeing figure seems momentarily suspended in mid-air. It is a photograph filled with movement, danger, humour and impeccable timing.

The handwritten title, Escaping the Bull, adds enormously to its charm. Rather than the formal spectacle of bullfighting, Michael has captured its unpredictable human side — the instant when bravado gives way to self-preservation.

An authentic vintage darkroom photograph from Michael Joseph’s early archive, retaining the tonal character, surface and imperfections of a photograph made by hand.

A wonderfully unconventional image — and a superb example of Michael Joseph’s instinct for being ready when the unexpected happened.

Please note that an AI-generated simulation showing the photograph framed and displayed on a wall has been included purely to illustrate how the work might look in an interior setting. Scale and proportions are approximate and the simulation is intended as a visual guide only.

The photograph is sold unframed. Thank you for your understanding.

#MichaelJoseph #EscapingTheBull #Bullfight #Bullfighting #Mozambique #VintagePhotography #VintagePhotograph #DarkroomPrint #SilverGelatinPrint #FineArtPhotography #PhotographyCollector #CollectiblePhotography #ArchivePhotography #DocumentaryPhotography #MichaelJosephArchive

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 Translate

Details

Date of print
1969
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Mozambique Bullfight - Escaping the Bull - unique darkroom print
Condition
Extremely fine
Technique
Gelatin-silver print
Height
29.5 cm
Edition
Vintage edition from the late fifties
Width
35 cm
Signature
Hand signed
Genre
Fine art photography
FranceVerified
583
Objects sold
100%
Privatetop

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