1968 | MILTON'S SHOES BY ALEXANDER CALDER

In 1968, my old friend from the US art scene, Alexander Calder, visited me in Rome. I had gone there in the 1950s, when my flat in New York was torn down and my first wife left me.
As an artist, Calder was first­rate, which the world has recognised. But he was also great company: witty and playful, with a brilliant mind. One evening, we went out for dinner. I had been whitewashing my studio and had walked in the paint. When I crossed my legs, Calder took out a pencil, on impulse, and drew my portrait on one of the splattered soles, and my profile on the other. He signed each: "AC". 
Milton Gendel | 2010

1968 | Milton's Shoes | ALEXANDER CALDER
Source: La Stampa (20-03-2013)

2006 | Self portrait as a triple mug shot by MILTON GENDEL
Source: The Guardian

The photograph was taken decades later. It was used as the cover of a catalogue for a show I gave in the museum of Spoleto in 2006. They suggested the shoes be used for the cover, but I wanted to make the image more personal, so I photographed myself reflected in the frame's glass. As you can see, it looks as if I am behind the shoes, falling feet­first. It was a piece of luck, like so much in photography. 
Milton Gendel | 2010

SOLE HUNTERS:

1984 | THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF STEVE PYKE



 

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