Michael Somoroff

Michael Somoroff is a communication strategist, multimedia artist, director, photographer, and teacher[1] who has worked on projects for corporations, advertising agencies, media companies, and cultural institutions worldwide since 1980.[2] He has collaborated at educational and cultural institutions and is currently an artist in residence at the Wyss Translational Center in association with the University of Zurich and ETH, Zurich. He is also a teacher and cultural commentator who has collaborated with State University of NY, Stony Brook, the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, the Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas the International Center of Photography, NYC, and the School of Visual Arts, NYC.

Somoroff's work can be found in museums, art fairs, and exhibitions both nationally and internationally, and he is also the author of five books.[3] Elisabeth Bard has referred in The New York Times to his approach as "Madison Avenue meets the Italian Renaissance." In the advertising industry, he is recognized as one of the top commercial directors, regularly contributing to award-winning films and photography for companies seeking to enhance their brand identity.[4]

Early life and career

Early life

Michael Somoroff was born in New York City during a time of growth in editorial design and analog photography.[5] His father, Ben Somoroff, was a well-known still life and product photographer. He was raised in an environment influenced by the work of Alexey Brodovitch, a legendary art director and teacher who encouraged his students to push boundaries and create innovative images.[6]

Michael Somoroff spent a significant part of his childhood in his father's studio located at 421 East 54th street in New York City, which was a hub for notable art directors, writers, artists, and designers of the time. Somoroff had the opportunity to be mentored by several individuals in his parents' circle, including his mother Alice Bruno who was a well-known fashion model, and his godfather, Henry Wolf. He was also given his first magazine assignment by renowned graphic designer Milton Glaser. Somoroff had developed proficiency in photography by his late teens.[7] In 1979, Richard Avedon facilitated his first show at the International Center of Photography after reviewing Somoroff's portfolio.[8] The review at ICP was conducted personally by Cornell Capa.[9]

Michael Somoroff is known for his association with the Brodovitch alumni. His father was famous for his associations with artists such as Salvador Dali, Truman Capote, and Marian Anderson.[10] After completing his education, he was required to contribute to his family's business and eventually became his father's studio manager and darkroom technician.[11] He gained a reputation as a skilled assistant and freelance photographer, working with many of his father's colleagues including Ben Rose, Sol Mednick, Louis Faurer, and Melvin Sokolsky. His work was documented in the book "A Moment. Master Photographers: Portraits by Michael Somoroff" published by Damiani in 2012.[12] He also attended the New School for Social Research in affiliation with the Parsons School of Design.

Professional career

Michael Somoroff gained recognition as a photographer in the late seventies after his first major exhibition at the International Center for Photography in New York. He then established his own studio[13] and contributed to American and European publications such as Stern, French Elle, and German Vogue. Later, he relocated to Europe where he became known for his photography in magazines such as Life, Harper's Bazaar, Der Spiegel, and Time, as well as for international advertising agencies. His portraiture, nudes, and still life photography have garnered a worldwide audience and received critical acclaim.[14]

Michael Somoroff followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a pioneer in motion picture and product filmmaking, commonly referred to as "Table Top".[15] In the early 1980s, he became a director after winning several awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.[16] Somoroff began directing films soon after returning to the U.S. in 1988, at the invitation of Columbia Pictures executive George Cooney. He then went into partnership with D&H Macguffin Films LTD, which was later reorganized as Macguffin Films LTD, where he remained a senior partner until 2015. He was sought after for his unique style, lighting technique and made a significant impact on the commercial production industry.[17]

Michael Somoroff is a renowned tabletop director and photographer. He is credited for his role in establishing the aesthetics of food and drink imagery in advertising, both in motion picture and still photography.[18] He has worked with major brands across the world, including Asahi, Unilever, Pepsi, Burger King, and Proctor and Gamble. He is known for creating effective visual concepts and for his ability to analyze and find obstacles to people's connection to a message or product, offering effective solutions.[19]

In addition to his photography and directing career, Somoroff is also known in the art world. He is recognized for his unique approach to creating content and his use of philosophical "signifiers" to form new philosophical structures in his art. He is successful in both fine art and commercial art and is known for blurring the distinction between the two. His art is focused on spiritual and philosophical inquiry and creating robust social structures.[20]

Somoroff has also studied religion and philosophy in Jerusalem, Israel for over two decades and is a published collaborator on the subject. He is known for his ability to bridge the corporate marketing world and the art world and for his lectures on sustainable wealth.

Selected Art Projects

Michael Somoroff's first major exhibition was held at the International Center for Photography in New York City in 1979.[21] The exhibition was titled "The Vegetable Series" and was organized under the direction of Cornell Cape and William A. Ewing. The exhibition was brought to the attention of the museum by Richard Avedon and Yasuhiro Wakabayashi (HIRO), who served as mentors to the young photographer. The exhibition received positive attention and was profiled in the New York Times by Suzanne Slesin. Following the success of the exhibition, Somoroff received numerous editorial and advertising assignments from international magazines. His first assignment was given to him by Milton Glaser and Walter Bernard at New York Magazine.

Michael Somoroff is known for his work bridging analog and digital art. In 2004, he created a digital version of Duchamp's "Nude Descending Staircase" from 1912 and Gerhard Richter's painting "Ema" from 1992, which he called "Query."[22][23] This work was seen as a commentary on the history of modern art and the transition from analog to digital. The renowned art critic Donald Kuspit described "Query" as a "consummate example of esthetic-conceptual interdependence" that epitomizes the transition from analogue to digital art and the ironic simultaneity between the two. Kuspit notes that the representation of the nude in the staircase changes from an analogue representation at the top to a digital representation at the bottom.

In 2006, Michael Somoroff was invited to create the first large-scale outdoor installation since Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk, called "Illumination I" for the Rothko Chapel in Houston. "Illumination I" was accompanied by an album of music composed by ambient musician Robert Rich called "Illumination (2007)". When the installation was moved to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the audio track and videos were presented as a multimedia installation by BravinLee Programs, Chelsea, NYC, in 2007.[24] The sculpture was last exhibited at Art OMI in 2008 and remained installed there for several years. It is presently in retirement.

In 2008, Somoroff created a site-specific installation of the parting of the Red Sea using four thousand pieces of wood and video projections at St. Peter's Art Station in Cologne, Germany.[25]

Absence of Subject, Somoroff's "unconventional homage" to photographer August Sander,[26] was first presented during the 2011 Venice Biennale on Piazza San Marco.[27][28]

Somoroff's work is held in art collections of Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston;[29] Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; and Museo Correr; it has been exhibited at the International Center of Photography, NYC.[30] Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois.

In 2011, Somoroff produced a series of short videos of poet Giannina Braschi reading from United States of Banana, a work of Postcolonial literature;.[31][32]

Somoroff is an official "artist in residence" at the Wyss Translational Center Zurich.[33]

Selected Publications
  • The Vegetables Series. International Center of Photography, 1985.
  • Kinder in Europa. Nicolai, 1988 ISBN 9783875842227.
  • Image of the Not-Seen: Search for Understanding. The Rothko Chapel Art Series, 2005. ISBN 0945472048.
  • Michael Somoroff: Illumination I, Rothko Chapel, Rothko Chapel Books, 2008. ISBN 9780979091605.
  • Absence of Subject. Walter König, 2011. ISBN 978-0983615606.
  • A Moment. Master Photographers, Portraits by Michael Somoroff. Damiani, 2012. ISBN 9788862082112.
  • Two Crowns of The Egg. Michael Somoroff, Donald Kuspit, Giannina Braschi, Damiani, 2014. ISBN 9788862083539.
  • The Eyes magazine special publication, Michael Somoroff, Absence of Subject, Photo­Plastik, 2014

Selected Exhibitions
  • 1985: Olympus Galerie, Hamburg, Germany
  • ·2006: Illumination, Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas, 2006; Illumination, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT, 2007; BravinLee Programs, Chelsea, New York City, NY, 2007; Illumination, OMI International Art Center, Sculpture park, Ghent, NY, 2008;
  • 2007: Vitamin W, The Wonder Factor, Newark, NJ
  • 2008: The Red Sea, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Köln, Germany
  • 2008: Genesis, Video Animation during Easter Mass, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Köln, Germany
  • 2008: The Absence of the Subject, Fotofest Houston, Offsite, Houston, Texas, 2008; Piazza San Marco, on the occasion of the Venice Biennale, Italy, 2011; Villa Brandolini F4 Un’Idea di Fotografia, Solighetto-Treviso, Italy, 2012; Galleri Image, Aarhus, Denmark, 2012; Fondazione Stelline, Milan, Italy, 2013; Centro de Arte la Regenta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, 2013; Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Tenerife, Spain, 2013; Sala Municipal de Exposiciones de las Francesas, Valladolid, Spain, 2013; Museo Nacional des Artes Visuales, Montevideo, Uruguay, 2014; Encuentros Abiertos in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2014; Sirius Arts Centre, Cork, Ireland, 2014; Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece, 2014; Villa Vauban, Luxembourg City Museum, 2015; Ruth Leuchter gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2015.
  • 2012: Tefillah I, Galerie Thomas Schulte, Berlin, Germany
  • 2013: Master Photographers, Galerie Julian Sander, Bonn, Germany, 2013; Fondazione Francesco Fabbri, Treviso, Italy, 2014; Sol Mednick Gallery at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, 2015.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2016

  • Absence of Subject, Ruth Leuchter gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany

2015

  • Absence of Subject, Villa Vauban – Luxembourg City Museum
  • Master Photographers, ​Sol Mednick Gallery at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia

2014

  • Absence of Subject, Museo Nacional des Artes Visuales, Montevideo, Uruguay Absence of Subject, Festival de la Luz in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Master Photographers, Fondazione Francesco Fabbri, Treviso, Italy
  • Absence of Subject, Sirius Arts Centre, Cork, Ireland
  • Absence of Subject, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece

2013

  • Absence of Subject, Fondazione Stelline in Milan, Italy
  • Absence of Subject, Centro de Arte la Regenta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain Absence of Subject, Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Tenerife, Spain
  • Absence of Subject, Sala Municipal de Exposiciones de las Francesas, Valladolid, Spain

2012

  • Absence of Subject, Villa Brandolini F4 Un’Idea di Fotografia, Solighetto­Treviso, Italy Absence of Subject, Galleri Image, Aarhus, Denmark
  • Tefillah I, Galerie Thomas Schulte, Berlin, Germany

2011

  • Absence of Subject, Piazza San Marco, during the Venice Biennale, Italy

2008

  • Illumination, OMI International Art Center, Sculpture park, Ghent, NY
  • The Red Sea, Kunst­Station Sankt Peter, Köln, Germany
  • Genesis, Video Animation during Easter Mass, Kunst­Station Sankt Peter, Köln, Germany The Absence of the Subject, Fotofest Houston, Offsite, Houston, Texas

2007

  • Illumination, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT Illumination, BravinLee Offsite, Chelsea, New York City, NY VITAMIN W, The Wonder Factor, Newark, NJ

2006

  • Illumination, Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas

1985

  • Olympus Galerie, Hamburg, Germany

1978

  • Vegetable Series, International Center of Photography, New York, NY

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2015

  • Inauguration of the Wyss Zürich Translational Center, a center of ETH Zürich and University of Zürich

2014

  • Paris Photo, Feroz Gallery, Paris, France
  • MIA Art Fair, Milan, Italy
  • Paris Photo­Los Angeles, Feroz Gallery, Los Angeles, USA AIPAD, Feroz Gallery, New York, USA

2013

  • Paris Photo­Paris, Feroz Gallery, Paris, France

2012

  • Art Basel, Galerie Thomas Schulte, Basel, Switzerland

2007

  • VITAMIN W, The Wonder Factor, Newark, NJ, USA.
  • Yun Bai, Monica Castillo, Rodbey Dickson, Anne Dushanko Dobek, Fred Fleisher, Shingo Francis, Asha Ganpat, Lynne Dian Gulezian, Ruth Hardinger, James Jack, Jeremy Kost, David Meanix, Pablo Orendain, Hermes Payrhuber, Michael Rees, Lereen Rowley, Michael Somoroff, Lyann Sullivan, Carlo Vialu

2005

  • ARCO, Steven Sacks, Bitsforms Gallery, Chelsea, New York City, USA.
  • Michael Joaquin Grey, Lynn Hirshman, Yael Kanarek, Michael Najjar, Michael Rees, Michael Somoroff “Touch and Temperature” curated by Michael Rees, Steven Sacks, Bitsforms Gallery, Chelsea, New York City With Matthew Barney, Lowell Boyers, Mary Ellen Carroll, Peter Dudek, John Gerrard, Alex Grey, Grahm Guerra, Mara Haseline, Yael Kanarek, Golan Levin, Fabian Marcaccio, Steve Miller, Michael Najjar, Joseph, Nechvatal, Sabina Ott, Casey Reas, Katie Schimert, Makai Smith, Michael Somoroff, Ted T. Stanke, James Stewart, Mary Ann Strandell
  • “Integrating the Digital Consciousness,” Art Houston, Houston, Texas, USA, Deborah Colton Gallery, in collaboration with Steven Sacks.
  • Michael Rees, Michael Somoroff, Yael Kanarek & Manfred Mohr

2003

  • “Consciousness and Process, The Digital in Sculpture, Photography, Animation.” Michael Rees & Michael Somoroff
  • Silvermine Guild Art Center, New Canaan, CT, USA.
  • “Digital Consciousness, Michael Somoroff, Michael Rees” during Art Cologne Dieter Zeibig, K99, Köln, Germany
  • “The Physics of Spirituality”, Westwood Gallery, Soho, New York City, USA.
  • With John Marc Edwards, Leonid Lamm, Michael Rees, Gary Gissler, Jeffrey Maron, Mary Ann Strandell, Helmut Grill, Komar & Melamid, Michael Somoroff, Doug Henders, David Noonan, Tibor Szenmenyey­Nagy, Ellen Kooi, Peter Rose, Tim White

1996

  • AICP (Association of Independant Commercials Producers)
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
  • The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, USA. Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI, USA.
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, USA.
  • High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, USA.
  • Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI, USA.
  • State Museum of Technique and Design, Warsaw, Poland.
  • Museum of Design and the ARCHA Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic. State Gallery of Art, Sopot, Poland.
  • Mucsarnok Palace of Art, Budapest.

1994

  • AICP (Association of Independant Commercials Producers) Los Angeles, County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI, USA.
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, USA.
  • High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Ga, USA.
  • Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI, USA.
  • State Museum of Technique and Design, Warsaw. Museum of Design and the ARCHA Theatre, Prague.
  • State Gallery of Art, Sopot, Poland.
  • Mucsarnok Palace of Art, Budapest.

1986

  • Frankfurt Kunstverein, “Men Seeing Men”, Frankfurt, Germany

1985

  • Photokina, “Modern Color Photography,” curated by Manfred Heiting, Köln, Germany. Olympus Galerie, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1984

  • Olympus Galerie, Hamburg, Germany

1980

  • Photokina, “Sixty Years of Photography”, Köln, Germany

1978

  • Rizzoli International, New York City.
  • Saratoga Art Gallery, Saratoga, New York, USA. Terrain Gallery, 144 Green St., New York City, USA. New School for Social Research, New York City, USA

AWARDS
  • American Photo Best Photo Books of the Year prize, 2012, A Moment. Master Photographers: Portraits by Michael Somoroff
  • Kodak book Prize, Best Photography Book of the Year, 1987, Kinder of Europe
  • Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Gold Metal, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
  • Gold Lions, Cannes, France
  • Canadian Besse Award
  • Mobius Award
  • NYC Art Director’s Club
  • CA Award
  • Andy Award of Merit
  • Clio Award
  • Society of Publication Designers Award

GRANTS
  • Eastman Kodak Co. – The Philharmonic Project Nikon Corporation – The Philharmonic Project Spring Mills Corporation Installation

HONORS
  • Official “artist in residence” at the University of Zurich and a communications consultant collaborating with ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and the University of Zurich: Wyss Translational Center, Zurich
  • Honored Lecturer at “Communication, Science, Art”, Visiting Artist at the 12th Winter Brain Symposium, Sils Maria, Switzerland; SUNY; University of The Arts, Philadelphia; International Center for Photography, New York; Rothko Chapel
  • Executive Director, New Light Foundation, Jerusalem, Israel
  • New York City Board Member, The Sculptor’s Guild of America
  • Honorary Executive Committee Member, Sculpture Center, Queens, New York
  • Honorary Member of the judging committee, Director’s Guild of America Film Festival Member of the Director’s Guild of America

BOOKS

BOOKS COLLABORATIONS
  • You Should See Yourself, Jewish Identity in Post Modern American Culture by Vincent Brook, Rutgers University Press, 2006
  • Abschied von der Realität, Rowohlt Verlag 1988
  • Männer sehen Männer, Photographie Verlag 1986
  • 50 years, Modern Color Photography, Manfred Heitung, PhotoKina, Koln, Germany 1986
  • Somoroff, The Vegetables Series, International Center of Photography 1985

References
  1. Terranova, Amber (April 2014). "The Subject of No Subject". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  2. Segal, David (2011-10-08). "Grilled Chicken, That Temperamental Star". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  3. "Ben-somoroff". 8 February 2017.
  4. "Ben Somoroff". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  5. Selsin, Suzanne (10 October 1979). "One Man's View Of Cut‐Up Vegetables". The New York Times.
  6. "Somoroff, the vegetable series". International Center of Photography. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  7. ""A Moment" with Michael Somoroff". LOENKE magazine. 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  8. Segal, David (8 October 2011). "In Food Commercials, Flying Doughnuts and Big Budgets". The New York Times.
  9. "AI-AP | DART » Master Photographers by Michael Somoroff". www.ai-ap.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  10. Bard, Elizabeth (June 17, 2007). "ART; A 50-Year-Old Upstart Redefines 'Emerging'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  11. "License a song from the album "Illumination" by Robert Rich". ilicensemusic.com. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  12. "Somoroff, Michael - Artist, USA - in front of his wooden sculpture..." Getty Images. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  13. Terranova, Amber (March 1, 2014). "The Subject of No Subject". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  14. Dyer, Geoff (2017-10-11). "The Photographer Who Saw America's Monuments Hiding in Plain Sight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  15. "Sander and Somoroff. Absence of Subject". Wall Street International. 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  16. Arts, The Museum of Fine. "The Museum of Fine Arts". MFAH. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  17. Evergreen Review video "Evergreen Review". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-27., New York, 2011
  18. "Poets, Philosophers, Lovers: On the Writings of Giannina Braschi". upittpress.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. "Faculty".
  20. Feran, Tim (February 9, 2015). "Longaberger president exits after 6 months". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  21. "August Sander e Michael Somoroff. Absence of Subject". Stelline (in Italian). January 1, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  22. "Benaki Museum : VISIT / EXHIBITIONS". Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  23. Somoroff, Michael (September 13, 2015). "Absence of Subject". Villa Vauban. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  24. "License a song from the album "Illumination" by Robert Rich". ilicensemusic.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  25. "Somoroff, Michael - Artist, USA - in front of his wooden sculpture..." Getty Images. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  26. Terranova, Amber (March 1, 2014). "The Subject of No Subject". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  27. Dyer, Geoff (2017-10-11). "The Photographer Who Saw America's Monuments Hiding in Plain Sight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  28. "Sander and Somoroff. Absence of Subject". Wall Street International. 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  29. Arts, The Museum of Fine. "The Museum of Fine Arts". MFAH. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  30. "Somoroff, the vegetable series". International Center of Photography. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  31. Evergreen Review video "Evergreen Review". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-27., New York, 2011
  32. "Poets, Philosophers, Lovers: On the Writings of Giannina Braschi". upittpress.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. "Faculty".
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