A Beautiful Film About Photographer Jay Maisel Moving Out of His Legendary Bowery Bank Home of 48 Years

Jay Myself: Photography, the Bank, and Me is a beautiful documentary about the iconic artist and photographer Jay Maisel, his incredible gift for seeing the beauty in random objects and his legendary 35,000 square, 72 room home in the Bowery known simply as “The Bank”.

Maisel purchased the building 1966 and lived and worked there until selling it for an incredible sum in 2015. The film, which was directed by Maisel’s protégé and acclaimed photographer Stephen Wilkes, documents the process of packing up all of Maisel’s treasures in preparation of moving out.

Acclaimed photographer Jay Maisel bought a six-story, 72-room building on the Bowery in 1966. Ever since, the site has served as his home, studio and repository for a breathtaking collection of items that inspires his photographic work. But now it must be emptied out following its sale in the largest private real estate deal in NYC history. As Maisel prepares for this monumental move, a true end of an era, he reflects on his life and work for the camera of his mentee, photographer and filmmaker Stephen Wilkes.

In November 2018, Maisel and Wilkes sat down with the B&H Photography Podcast to talk about the film.

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B&H Podcast featuring Stephen Wilkes & Jay Maisel in conversation. Tune in to listen to them discuss 40 years of friendship mentorship. Jay’s incredible former home on The Bowery- famously known as “The Bank,” New York City, and the creative spirit of photography. http://bhphotopodcast.libsyn.com/jay-maisel-and-stephen-wilkes-discuss-the-documentary-jay-myself Jay and I behind the scenes in The Bank during the creation of Jay Myself. Link to official trailer in bio ?? Jay Myself is World Premiering at DOCNYC this Sunday, November 11th at 4:30pm at the SVA Theater and Tuesday November 13th at 9:45pm at the IFC Center. #StephenWilkes #photography #art #newyorkcity #JayMaisel #documentary #docnyc #thebowery #mentors #newyorkfilms #newyorkmovie #madeinNY #jaymyself #film #movies #filmfestivals #artmovie #artofphotography #movietrailers #movietrailerdebut @docnycfest @jaymaisel @stephenwilkes

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via PetaPixel

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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