Joel Meyerowitz Documents Giorgio Morandi's Studio in New Photobook Edition

Photographer Joel Meyerowitz, renowned for his influential color street photography in New York City, has released an updated edition of his book 'Morandi's Objects: The Complete Archive of Casa Morandi' in April 2026. Published by Damiani Books, this second edition includes over 130 additional photographs not present in the original 2016 version. The project documents Meyerowitz's time in the Bologna studio of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, a master of still life compositions. Meyerowitz, who typically avoids still life photography, immersed himself in Morandi's workspace during the 2010s while living in Tuscany with his wife, writer and artist Maggie Barrett. The book captures humble objects like vases and bottles against walls with peeling paint, described as having a cortado-like color. Meyerowitz noted that Morandi arranged geometric forms—circles, cylinders, cubes—creating meditative relationships between near and far elements. He experienced the artist's presence through personal artifacts, including a paint-stiffened suit jacket Morandi used to wipe brushes. Barrett contributed an essay highlighting both artists' shared quality of stillness infused with temporal energy. The publication aims to capture the anima, or soul, of Morandi's creative inspiration, serving as a document of Meyerowitz's photographic sensitivity to revealing details. The studio's rooms are typically not accessible to the public, making this visual archive particularly significant for understanding Morandi's working environment and artistic process.