ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF CHARLES BUKOWSKI, INSCRIBED TO JOHN MARTIN
Hollywood, CA: Michael Montfort Photography, 1980. Item #8031
Original double-weight photographic portrait, measuring 27.5cm x 35.5cm (ca.10.75" x 14"). With Montfort's studio stamp on verso, captioned by him in pencil directly above: "Main Station, Mannheim, Waiting for Christoph." Inscribed by the subject at lower right corner to his friend and long-time publisher, John Martin: "For John Martin: Here I am, hungover in a German train station. Wish you had been there – hungover – with me. Charles Bukowski. 4-13-80." Hint of foxing and two small photographer's notes on verso, with a few faint, tiny spots along upper margin on recto; very Near Fine.
A striking portrait of Bukowski in his native Germany, where by 1980 he was enjoying celebrity status. This is one of many photographs captured by his friend and long-time collaborator Michael Montfort (1940-2008), a German photographer and photojournalist who travelled with Bukowski both in the States and overseas. We have conservatively handled several hundred photos of Bukowski, and seen many more, though this one is exceptional, with terrific provenance.
Price: $4,850.00