Stories From Beyond the Lens: An Evening With Photographer Michael Childers

The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University has announced Stories from Beyond the Lens, a moderated conversation with fine arts photographer Michael Childers at 5 p.m. Nov. 12. In conjunction with the presentation, 20 of Childers’ most iconic photographs will be on display at the museum.

A master of portraiture, with deep ties to celebrity culture, Hollywood, and the creative scenes of Southern California and beyond, Childers captures glamour, intimacy, and sensuality through his lens. His photographs tell a story through his unique ability to fuse celebrity glamour with personal vulnerability and artistic seduction.

“We’re excited to exhibit some of Michael’s best work and hear the stories behind these photographs,” said Katie Lee-Koven, executive director and chief curator at NEHMA. “In addition to his skill as a photographer, he’s had a close connection with so many amazing artists — like his friends David Hockney and Andy Warhol — and so many celebrities like Dolly Parton and Cher — and brings a unique perspective that few others have had.”

In addition to the evening presentation that’s open to the community, NEHMA has arranged to have Michael spend time with Utah State University students studying photography and film, inviting dialogue and an opportunity for questions.

With a career spanning over six decades, Childers established his academic roots at the UCLA Film School, directing films and studying photography with renowned photographers Robert Heinecken and Edmund Teske.

Childers became a founding photographer for Andy Warhol’s iconic Interview magazine and After Dark magazine, and he produced numerous covers for Dance magazine featuring companies such as the Joffrey Ballet, the Royal Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.

His photographs have been featured on more than 200 magazine covers — including GQ, Esquire, Elle, Vogue, Life, and Paris Match — and Childers has created over 150 album covers and film posters for major studios. A special photographer on dozen of films, including Grease, Marathon Man, The Year of Living Dangerously, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Terminator, and Ocean’s Twelve, he’s documented years of cinematic history.

Childers’ long association and friendships with artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and architects allowed him to create deeply personal photographs of his subjects and afforded him the ability to capture not just their image, but their essence. His portraits of a longtime friend, artist David Hockney, have added to Hockney’s lore and are part of the permanent collections at Yale University and the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Childers’ photographs are also included in many significant collections, including the British National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, the Academy Library of Los Angeles, the Las Vegas Art Museum, the Laguna Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. He remains the only American photographer invited to document productions at Sir Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre in London.

His “AUTHOR! AUTHOR!” series — a collection of 100 of Childers’ portraits of great authors, playwrights, screenwriters, and poets — was acquired by the Yale University Beinecke Library, and includes literary stars ranging from Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, and Jackie Collins to Amy Tan, Neil Simon, and Erica Jong.

Dave Karger, of Turner Classic Movies, said: “Michael Childers’ uniqueness lies in the fact that he’s one of the few remaining connections to Hollywood’s golden age, while at the same time remaining completely current, vibrant, and immersed in the culture of today. He’s a bon vivant par excellence and also a fiercely creative soul.”

Childers has had two books published of his photographs: Hollywood Voyeur (2001) and Icons and Legends (2003).

Stories from Beyond the Lens: An Evening with Photographer Michael Childers will be at 5-6 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall on Utah State University’s Logan campus. A reception and exhibition of Childers’ photographs will follow from 6-7:30 p.m. at NEHMA.