SANDRO MILLER
Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters

17/02/2023 - 30/04/2023

Vernissage: Friday, February 17, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Presentation by Sandro Miller: Saturday, February 18, 11 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.

The American photographer Sandro Miller and the Hollywood star actor John Malkovich recreated the most iconic photographic images from the 20th and 21st centuries in Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters cycle. The exhibition comprised 61 colored and black and white photographs, which John Malkovich compounded in the images of famous persons.

In 2013, Sandro Miller decided to do a project honoring the men and women whose photographs helped shape his career. After selecting thirty-five images to emulate. Pieces include Irving Penn’s photograph of Truman Capote in a corner; Bert Stern’s photographs of Marilyn Monroe; Dorothea Lange’s image of a migrant mother; Robert Mapplethorpe’s self-portrait with a gun; Annie Leibovitz’s iconic image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono; Diane Arbus’s classic photo of a boy with a hand grenade; Richard Avedon’s beekeeper, among many others.

 Sandro Miller contacted John, who instantly agreed to participate. When speaking about Malkovich, Sandro states: “John is the most brilliant, prolific person I know. His genius is unparalleled. I can suggest a mood or an idea and within moments, he literally morphs into the character right in front of my eyes. He is so trusting of my work and our process… I’m truly blessed to have him as my friend and collaborator.”

Miller’ success in the commercial world allows him to continue his personal projects, which has included working in Cuba, photographing American blues musicians, various dance troupes, and extended endeavors with John Malkovich, his longtime friend and collaborator. Sandro first met Malkovich in the late 1990s, while working on a job for Steppenwolf Theater. More than 16 years later, Sandro and John are still collaborating, which can be seen in their latest project, Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters.

Sandro Miller is an American photographer, two-time winner of the Lucie Foundation the International Photographer of the Year award for his achievements in photography in 2014, and in 2015, for the 2nd year in a row, Miller was honored with the Lucie Foundation’s International Photographer of the Year award for his photography of the Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters images.  Sandro Miller has been voted one of the top 200 advertising photographers in the world in juried competitions within the industry.

At the age of sixteen, upon seeing the work of Irving Penn, Sandro Miller knew he wanted to become a photographer. Mostly self-taught, Sandro Miller relied on books published by many of the great artists canonized in photographic history.  Through their pictures, he learned the art of composition, lighting and portraiture. Sandro Miller has secured his place as one of the top advertising photographers worldwide. With numerous award-winning commercial campaigns to his credit, Miller is one of today’s foremost fine-art photographers. He has photographed many national advertising campaigns for a long alphabetical list of clients including: Adidas, Allstate Insurance, American Express, Anheuser-Busch, BMW, Champion, Coca-Cola, Dove, Gatorade, Honda, Milk, Microsoft, Miller/Coors, Motorola, Nike, Nikon, Pepsi, Pony, UPS and the US Army.

John Malkovich is considered to be one the greatest American actors of the 21st century. In this project  he demonstrates his chameleon-like proclivity, morphing into Albert Einstein, Che Guevara, John Lennon and Andy Warhol. Through his immense skill and Sandro’s amazing eye, Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters pays respect to  the history of this art through the genius of a photographer and his muse.

Masters of Photography is organized by MUSIZ Foundation in partnership with the National Gallery and diChroma photography. The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and Lachezar Tsotsorkov Foundation. The exhibition is supported by the Culture Program of Sofia Municipality and UniCredit Bulbank. The exhibition is carried out with the cooperation of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, Grand Hotel Sofia, Minkov Brothers Wine Cellar, and VIP Trading Digivision, the official representative of L­eica.