#jan michael

Jan Michael, "Hanson's Humans", Esquire, 1976

"There are only six real people on these eight pages. The others are art. They’re creations molded in polyester resin, talc and fiber glass from bandage-and-plaster casts of real people, and they’re all by artist Duane Hanson, who says his purpose is to show “common people, working-class people, the downtrodden, losers. Their side of life shows how difficult it really is for people to get along.” The losers get along nicely in the houses of the well-to-do, as you can see, even though critics have questioned whether the sculptures are art after all or more like store-window dummies. Hanson’s works can be found in museums around the world but are most startling in the homes of private collectors. The Drug Addict here, for example, prepares to shoot up in Richard Brown Baker’s New York City apartment.

L’Officiel, 1983.