Blue Eyed Michael Jackson, 1999, 2019

Arno Bani  

Limited edition 5 of 9, black wooden frame and museum glass. signed and numbered on the print + certificate of authenticity

More than photos, it's a story...

In 1999, Michael Jackson was in his London hotel room as he fell in love with a series of fashion photos in the Sunday Times magazine.
He asks to meet the creator of these photos, a 23-year-old French fashion photographer, Arno BANI.

Arno BANI goes to New York to meet the pop star. Michael Jackson asks Arno more than just to take pictures of him, he wants him to think about his total look for the next ten years and show him his suggestions later.

After that, they had several creative meetings in New York for three months.
Arno prepares his team, made up of stylists: Maida Grégrory Boina, Jérôme Dreyfuss, makeup artist Topolino and hairstylists Seb Bascle, Frédérique Lorca, Daniel Adric, Gilles Quemoun.

An appointment is made for a three-day photo shoot in Malakoff, in the Paris suburbs. Huge cinema rooms are privatized and equipped for filming.
These photos which were to be on the cover of the INVINCIBLE album were blocked by Michael Jackson's publishing house (record Co) because of conflicts with him.

For 10 years and because of the contract, neither M.J nor Arno BANI were allowed to show their work, because the photos belonged to the record company (producer of the photo shoots).
10 years later, at the time of Michael Jackson's death, the photographer obtained the rights to exhibit their works of art.