At the studio, we (Massimo, myself and the interns) often do research around art history and all the images of the past that represent or capture crowds, people at the beach or in public spaces, trying to trace a line of the visual culture around those subjects.
There are old postcards, snapshots, paintings and other works of art that somehow reflect the same curiosity that has brought Massimo to put himself on a chair, a van, a tripod, or a ladder, looking at humanity and taking pictures of the social animals we all are, or were.
Here is a little selection I’ve made from the amazing digital collection of the New York Public Library. There are images that probably Massimo would have liked to take himself. In any case, it is always quite mind blowing to see how things change and yet everything remains the same. Do you see what I mean?
