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Duane Michals — I Build a Pyramid
Duane Michals

I Build a Pyramid

A sequence of six black-and-white photographs arranged in narrative progression, capturing a solitary figure engaged in the quiet, meditative act of stacking small objects into a pyramidal form. Michals employs his signature sequential storytelling technique to transform a simple, mundane gesture into a contemplative meditation on human ambition, creation, and the desire to leave something behind. The series invites the viewer to consider the relationship between grand historical monuments and the modest, personal acts of building that mirror them.

Medium
Six gelatin silver prints, printed later.

🔨 Auction Lot

The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something Foundation, Part 2

April 4, 2017

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About this work

Duane Michals, I Build a Pyramid

A sequence of six black-and-white photographs arranged in narrative progression, capturing a solitary figure engaged in the quiet, meditative act of stacking small objects into a pyramidal form. Michals employs his signature sequential storytelling technique to transform a simple, mundane gesture into a contemplative meditation on human ambition, creation, and the desire to leave something behind. The series invites the viewer to consider the relationship between grand historical monuments and the modest, personal acts of building that mirror them.

Medium
Six gelatin silver prints, printed later.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Conceptual Photography, Contemporary Photographer, Male Artist, Fine Art Photography, Photo Series, Black and White Photography, Gelatin Silver Print, Sequential Narrative, American Artist, Introspective Mood, Surrealist Influence, Late 20th Century

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