Travel to the Soviet Union
during the darkest days of the Cold
War as an American was unusual, but
for Duane Michals, the unusual has
proved to be the norm. Throughout
his career, the highly regarded fine-art
photographer has embraced the com-
mercial world and scoffed at the idea
that it’s “selling out.”
In 1964-’65, the Pennsylvania-born
New York City transplant explored
the streets of his adopted home, at
times when the city was virtually
void of foot and vehicular traffic.
His almost “Twilight Zone” view
of the Big Apple allows us to study
this unique metropolis without any
human distractions.
Most of the images from these
early, camera-in-hand urban expe-
ditions have laid dormant until
the publication of Empty New York
(Enitharmon Editions), a time cap-
sule of sorts opened up in 2019,
unveiling a city frozen in time just
as Eugène Atget, one of Michals’
heroes, commemorated Paris in the
early years of the 20th century.Digital Photo Pro: What’s the con-
cept behind Empty New York?
Duane Michals: In 1964, I was just
wetting my whistle in photography. I
ran into the work of Atget. I began to
see an Atget print here and an Atget
print there. I was arrested by their
beauty and solitude.
Simultaneously, I was also looking at
the French painter Balthus. There’s a
painting of a street scene at the Museum
of Modern Art [in New York] by him. If
you remove the people from the street, it
would have been an Atget photograph.Image from the book The House I Once Called Home, by Duane Michals, 200322 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com