Michael Joseph (1941-) - Pool ladies - resting nude, unique authentic colour print from the eighties

“Pool Ladies” — Michael Joseph
London, mid-1980s — unique colour print, signed by the photographer
A beautifully mischievous and meticulously staged photograph from Michael Joseph’s mid-1980s work, Pool Ladies embodies the playful precision that defines his most memorable imagery. In this arresting composition, a line of synchronised swimmers reclines in perfect unison, their bodies creating a gleaming diagonal sweep across the frame. The result is both sculptural and knowingly theatrical — a wink of humour delivered with flawless visual discipline.
It is classic Joseph:
bold, refined, irreverently choreographed.
He delights in repetition, geometry, and the almost architectural rhythm of the human form. The angled perspective intensifies the sense of performance, drawing the viewer into a stage-set world where order, wit and sensuality coexist effortlessly.
This photograph sits seamlessly within Joseph’s celebrated legacy of orchestrated group portraiture. His ability to marshal bodies, props and space into dynamic, characterful compositions is well documented — from the exuberant Schweppes campaigns to the famed White Horse Whisky images, and of course his legendary Beggars Banquet session with the Rolling Stones. Yet Pool Ladies reveals a more pared-back brilliance: a cleaner visual line, a quieter joke, a moment where elegance and playfulness share the same breath.
Printed in the 1980s and signed in the margin, this is an authentic analogue colour print, rich with the tactile depth and warm saturation that only professional printing can provide. Its surface detail and tonal quality speak unmistakably of the era in which it was created.
A striking and highly collectible piece — witty, stylish, and unmistakably Michael Joseph.
Mount size 40cm high by 30cm wide. As always, it will be packaged with great care and devotion, respecting its history and ensuring it reaches its new home safely.