Queen Mother, Madonna
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Patrick Demarchelier, Madonna
1990 | Silver gelatin print
Edition of 20, Signed on verso
NFS
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We all have pop culture icons that we love, admire and feel a special connection with— mine is Madonna. Whether you like her or not; she still continues to be one of the most polarizing musicians / artists / celebrities of our time. She has hits and misses, receives both love and hate, but when faced with criticism, she consistently rebounds, takes charge of the narrative, and makes it her own.
I first fell in love with Madonna during her Confessions Era. The album Confessions on the Dancefloor has consistently been a part of my music rotation since its release, specifically the songs Jump and How High. Anytime I’ve been faced with an extremely uncertain or pivotal moment in my life, I play these two songs on repeat— and moving to NYC was no exception.
Like The Connor Brothers, I Drink piece— the above photo was also acquired because of an Architectural Digest tour. This time, fashion designer, Michael Kors was being profiled. As he lead AD through his sprawling Penthouse Apartment in Greenwich Village, he shared his photography collection and highlighted the above piece with Madonna wearing a dress from his namesake label.
Everything about the photo is giving: the pose, the face, the hair, the look, the lighting. The black negative register adds a touch of rawness and the contrast of the black & white is almost as stunning as Madonna herself.
I immediately went on Google to find out more information about the photo. I discovered it was taken by famed fashion photographer, Patrick Demarchelier, and was available at Staley-Wise Gallery in NYC. And if the name Demarchelier sounds familiar— it’s because of this iconic scene from The Devil Wears Prada:
It’s moments like these where I have to pinch myself. The Devil Wears Prada is one of my favorite movies; long before I had ever stepped foot in NYC, I fell in love with the city because of the film (and Sex & The City, of course). There’s the above scene that features a nod to Demarchelier. The movie’s soundtrack features two songs from Madonna, Jump and Vogue. And now I’m writing all this from my NYC apartment with a picture of Madonna, taken by Patrick Demarchelier, hanging in my living room.
While I understand that thousands of things happen everyday throughout our lives and we only assign meaning and see coincidences when we want to— I can’t help but think some good karma was going on in all of this.
