Print Details
About this photograph
When Art Kane was assigned to shoot Jim Morrison of The Doors for a photo essay in New Rock magazine in 1968, the photographer could not have found a more like-minded subject. Upon meeting, the two hit it off, discussing philosophy, literature and current events.
Kane, who took this image of Morrison in the closet of his hotel room at the Chateau Marmont, sought to create an image that mirrored the themes of malaise and doom that permeated Morrison’s lyrics. Upon opening the closet door, Kane remarked that it resembled a “lifeless chamber. I noticed the TV and instinctively moved it into the closet. I had visions of Jim Morrison kneeling behind it with the tube suggesting an x-ray image of his nerve center – his thoughts.”
Print sizes and editions
16” x 20” paper size - Edition of 40
30” x 40” paper size - Edition of 7
50” x 75” paper size - Edition of 3
Print type
C-type print
Paper type
Epson Fine Art semi-matte archival paper
Signature
Estate stamped
About the photographer
Art Kane was one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. Kane's work encompassed fashion, editorial, celebrity portraiture, travel, and nudes with a relentless and innovative eye. Kane pioneered photographic storytelling by investigating his image with metaphor and poetry, effectively turning photography into illustration. In 1958, Kane assembled the greatest legends in jazz and shot what became one of his most famous images, Harlem 1958.
In the 1960s and 1970s, he photographed, among others, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Janis Joplin, the Doors, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan. In his lifetime Kane was honored by almost every photo-design organization in the United States and his contributions to photography continue to resonate to this day.
© Art Kane. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without permission.