Portrait of Michael J. Fox by Steve Pyke

                          © Steve Pyke

Every Thursday evening, the National Portrait Gallery presents “Face-to-Face,” a talk about a selected portrait on view in the gallery. As part of this regular series, Ann Shumard, who is the curator of photographs at NPG, discussed this portrait of Michael J. Fox by Steve Pyke. The portrait is on display on the museum’s first floor, in the exhibition "Portraiture Now: Feature Photography.” 

Interviewed by Esquire magazine for its popular “What I’ve Learned” column, actor and medical research advocate Michael J. Fox spoke candidly about living with Parkinson’s disease: “If I let it affect everything, it’s gonna own everything. I don’t deny it or pretend it’s not there, but if I don’t allow it to be bigger than it is, I can do everything else.” Published with the interview, Steve Pyke’s portrait mirrors the determination of the man whose Michael J. Fox Foundation has funded more than $137 million in Parkinson’s research.

Steve Pyke readily admits that his life in photography has been propelled largely by his fascination with the face. Born in England and now based in New York, Pyke first won notice for his distinctive close-up portrait style in the 1980s, with editorial work for the music press and magazines such as Britain’s popular “style bible,” The Face. In the intervening decades, Pyke’s photographs have reached a wide audience through their publication in major magazines around the world and their exhibition in museums and commercial galleries.

In 2004, Steve Pyke joined the New Yorker. “Working as a staff photographer at the New Yorker magazine gives me the immediacy of making portraits and seeing them appear in an editorial context,” Pyke explains, “and this has always surprised and stimulated me.” In tandem with his career in editorial photography, he has maintained a strong commitment to personally driven projects, including his portrait series documenting the world’s leading thinkers and philosophers.

A common thread running through both Pyke’s editorial and personal work is his abiding interest in what a face can tell us. “The way we live our lives is etched into the landscape of our faces,” Pyke observes. “We create the face with which we live.”

Listen to Ann Shumard’s Face-to-Face talk on Michael J. Fox (24:37)

To view more works by Steve Pyke and the other artists featured in “Portraiture Now: Feature Photography,” be sure to see the online exhibition.  And listen to Steve Pyke in this audio slideshow from the New Yorker.

The next Face-to-Face talk is this Thursday, February 5, when researcher Maya Foo speaks about the portrait of Bette Midler by Richard Amsel in the exhibition “Ballyhoo: Posters as Portraiture.” The talk runs from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Visitors meet the presenter in the museum’s F Street lobby and then walk to the appropriate gallery.

Michael J. Fox / Steve Pyke / Gelatin silver print, 2007 / Collection of the artist, courtesy Flowers Gallery, New York City / © Steve Pyke

Comments

[john]

I was sent this by a friend. It touched my heart and I wanted to pass it on. Please have a read.

My name is Steve Alten, I am the best-selling author of ten novels, including the MEG series, DOMAIN, The LOCH, and GOLIATH. Two years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. I was 47 at the time, with no family history. Parkinsons is a degenerative disease that causes tremors and muscle rigidity. For me, the symptoms affect my dominant right side. My arm no longer swings freely when I walk, and doing certain activities can be challenging. I have never felt sorry for myself, I consider myself a lucky person and have too much in my life to be grateful for. So I will fight this setback as best as I can, and hopefully contribute something of value that can help find a cure, if not for myself then others.

Parkinsons is a disease that can be cured. Michael J. Fox and his foundation have done an incredible job organizing researchers to focus on the medical science that makes a difference.

Since my own diagnosis, I have asked myself what I can do to help. Writing books is a time-consuming labor, plus I spend time visiting schools, plus I have a family?plus I need to work out or my muscles stiffen up. Oh yeah, every day I answer 100 e-mails from fans. It?s a labor of love, as an author, my most valued asset is YOU, my readers. Over the last 13 years, I have worked hard to earn your trust. All of you who have ever e-mailed me know I ALWAYS RESPOND PERSONALLY. Students know I am always honored to answer their Q & A assignments for school. Thousands of teachers in the Adopt-An-Author program know I am always there to speak with their students via phone, e-mails, or personal visits.

Times are tight for many of us, and so many organizations need money ? I know because many of you contact me asking for donations on their behalf. I never say no. Over the years, I have also sent boxes of signed books to our soldiers overseas in appreciation for their sacrifice. But I need to do something to support the Michael J. Fox foundation, not because I have Parkinsons, but because I am convinced they are doing valuable work that can help all of us.

ONE REQUEST ? SIMPLE, PAINLESS & A BLESSING:

I am asking each person reading this to please go to http://www.teamfox.org/siteapps/personalpage/ShowPage.aspx?c=nrLXJ0PFKuG&b=4815191&sid=ikIUKaOQKfK1KjNSLpE

and donate $10 dollars to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Please, only ten dollars. Because ten dollars from ten thousand Steve Alten readers CAN make a serious difference in the fight against a disease that affects millions of Americans?including this humble author.

My deepest heartfelt thanks, Steve Alten

Steve Alten
MEG82159@aol.com
www.SteveAlten.com