neverland lost

A portrait of Micheal Jackson, by Henry Leutwyler

"Henry Leutwyler went to photograph one glove and instead came back with a haunting book about Michael Jackson.

The idea, says Henry Leutwyler, was simply to photograph one of Michael Jackson’s glittering stage gloves. In April last year, before the singer’s death, a number of Jackson’s clothes and possessions were up for auction to raise money to clear his debts. For a magazine commission, Leutwyler went to the warehouse where they were being kept, but instead of photographing one glove, he came away with a far larger catch." -The Faded Glitter of Neverland, New York Times Article.

The Times article goes on to say how sad the shoot ended up being since Micheal had to auction off all these items to pay his debt. Leutwyler goes on to say how fascinating it was that the clothes were so worn, soiled and uncared for and therefore spoke so much more than a simple portrait ever could. Which is exactly why I love this kind of documentary photography so much. You see an unspoken side of a person. Amanda James has captured this with photographing the interior of her grandmothers home.

Needless to say Micheal Jackson had an incredible carrer, and an even more incredible fall from grace. Love him or hate him, he was a fascinating and talented musician.
All images via Neverland Lost