Michael Somoroff
Encyclopedia
Born in New York City in 1957, Michael Somoroff is a prominent commercial director as well as an accomplished photographer and artist. His father, Ben Somoroff, was a celebrated commercial photographer who studied with Alexey Brodovitch
at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art now the University of the Arts.
Drawn to photography at a young age, Michael Somoroff dedicated his teenage years to perfecting his craft. Upon graduating from High School, he studied art and photography at the New School for Social Research. In 1979, his Vegetable Series was exhibited at the International Center of Photography
in New York City under the auspices of Cornell Capa
. The exhibition was a definite catalyst for the 22-year-old Somoroff's career. In the early eighties, Somoroff headed for Europe, first settling in Paris and later establishing a successful studio in Hamburg, Germany, shooting virtually for every major publications. While a regular contributor to Der Spiegel, Stern, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Life and Elle, Somoroff worked on thematic personal projects, one being Kinder Europa (The Children of Europe) published in German with English translations (Nicolai, 1988).
After returning to New York City in the late 1980s, Somoroff began directing commercials, in particular those using "Tabletop" photography. His award-winning work includes commercials for Red Lobster, The Olive Garden, KFC, Burger King, Chili's, Dunkin' Donuts, Evian, and Dairy Queen. While making his mark as a director, Michael Somoroff has continued his artistic journey establishing himself as a New Media artist. Recognizing photography's ability to translate space/time into visual elements, Somoroff has pushed the limits of the medium beyond its intrinsic figurative nature inventing and coining the term Photo-plastik. His exploration of light, movement and time, informed by computer technology and spiritual awareness, has led him to create conceptual and multi-layered bodies of work. His homage to both Marcel Duchamp and Gerhard Richter, Query, is highly regarded by Donald Kuspit in his critical review Somoroff and the Platonic Nude http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/kuspit/kuspit8-5-05.asp
Somoroff has been the first artist invited to exhibit at The Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, and notably the only artist since Barnett Newman
to have an installation on the grounds. In 2006 Somoroff created a large-scale outdoor sculpture Illumination I for the Chapel. In the exhibition catalog, art historian David Anfam writes: "Generated from an array of hi-tech software programs, hands-on collaborative expertise in the crafting of the sculpture proper, wide-ranging empirical observation and personal reflections both political and ontological in nature, Illumination I promises a rich physical experience graced with an equally distinctive metaphysical dimension. In this respect, Somoroff's project renews Rothko's artistic endeavor." In 2007, Illumination I was exhibited at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ct., in conjunction with the environmental video installation "Illumination" at the Bravin Lee Gallery, NYC. In 2008, Somoroff was commissioned to create an installation at the Saint Peter Art Center in Cologne, Germany, resulting in a large scale indoor piece made of thousands of wooden shards titled "The Red Sea,".
Somoroff’s work has been exhibited in major art fairs such as Arco, Art Cologne, Basel Art Fair, Art Miami, Armory Show, NYC., Fotofest Houston and Photokina among other venues. His nudes, portraits, and still life images are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Houston Museum of Fine Art, Texas; and The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Somorroff’s Absence of Subject, his homage to the legendary photographer August Sander, was chosen as the only exhibit to be placed on Piazza San Marco during the 2011 Venice Biennale in the long artistic history of the city.
Michael Somoroff currently lives and works in New York City.
Alexey Brodovitch
Alexey Brodovitch was a Russian-born photographer, designer and instructor who is most famous for his art direction of fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar from 1938 to 1958.- Early life in Russia :...
at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art now the University of the Arts.
Drawn to photography at a young age, Michael Somoroff dedicated his teenage years to perfecting his craft. Upon graduating from High School, he studied art and photography at the New School for Social Research. In 1979, his Vegetable Series was exhibited at the International Center of Photography
International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography is a photography museum, school, and research center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
in New York City under the auspices of Cornell Capa
Cornell Capa
Cornell Capa was a Hungarian American photographer, member of Magnum Photos, and photo curator, and the younger brother of photo-journalist and war photographer Robert Capa. Graduating from Imre Madách Gymnasium in Budapest, he initially intended to study medicine, but instead joined his brother...
. The exhibition was a definite catalyst for the 22-year-old Somoroff's career. In the early eighties, Somoroff headed for Europe, first settling in Paris and later establishing a successful studio in Hamburg, Germany, shooting virtually for every major publications. While a regular contributor to Der Spiegel, Stern, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Life and Elle, Somoroff worked on thematic personal projects, one being Kinder Europa (The Children of Europe) published in German with English translations (Nicolai, 1988).
After returning to New York City in the late 1980s, Somoroff began directing commercials, in particular those using "Tabletop" photography. His award-winning work includes commercials for Red Lobster, The Olive Garden, KFC, Burger King, Chili's, Dunkin' Donuts, Evian, and Dairy Queen. While making his mark as a director, Michael Somoroff has continued his artistic journey establishing himself as a New Media artist. Recognizing photography's ability to translate space/time into visual elements, Somoroff has pushed the limits of the medium beyond its intrinsic figurative nature inventing and coining the term Photo-plastik. His exploration of light, movement and time, informed by computer technology and spiritual awareness, has led him to create conceptual and multi-layered bodies of work. His homage to both Marcel Duchamp and Gerhard Richter, Query, is highly regarded by Donald Kuspit in his critical review Somoroff and the Platonic Nude http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/kuspit/kuspit8-5-05.asp
Somoroff has been the first artist invited to exhibit at The Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, and notably the only artist since Barnett Newman
Barnett Newman
Barnett Newman was an American artist. He is seen as one of the major figures in abstract expressionism and one of the foremost of the color field painters.-Early life:...
to have an installation on the grounds. In 2006 Somoroff created a large-scale outdoor sculpture Illumination I for the Chapel. In the exhibition catalog, art historian David Anfam writes: "Generated from an array of hi-tech software programs, hands-on collaborative expertise in the crafting of the sculpture proper, wide-ranging empirical observation and personal reflections both political and ontological in nature, Illumination I promises a rich physical experience graced with an equally distinctive metaphysical dimension. In this respect, Somoroff's project renews Rothko's artistic endeavor." In 2007, Illumination I was exhibited at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ct., in conjunction with the environmental video installation "Illumination" at the Bravin Lee Gallery, NYC. In 2008, Somoroff was commissioned to create an installation at the Saint Peter Art Center in Cologne, Germany, resulting in a large scale indoor piece made of thousands of wooden shards titled "The Red Sea,".
Somoroff’s work has been exhibited in major art fairs such as Arco, Art Cologne, Basel Art Fair, Art Miami, Armory Show, NYC., Fotofest Houston and Photokina among other venues. His nudes, portraits, and still life images are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Houston Museum of Fine Art, Texas; and The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Somorroff’s Absence of Subject, his homage to the legendary photographer August Sander, was chosen as the only exhibit to be placed on Piazza San Marco during the 2011 Venice Biennale in the long artistic history of the city.
Michael Somoroff currently lives and works in New York City.
External links
- bio at his web site
- http://www.macguffin.com/