Jay Myself

Jay Myself is a captivating 2018 documentary film that tells the story of the extraordinary life journey and professional career of renowned photographer, Jay Maisel. As a testament to his profound impact on modern photography, this movie conveys a compelling portrait of an artist and an eloquent ode to a bygone era of New York City.

The film starts by presenting the compelling figure of Jay Maisel, an iconic New York photographer, known worldwide for his vibrant and evocative images. Maisel's career spans over half a century, wherein he has documented various subjects including sports events, jazz musicians, and cityscapes. His most famous work, perhaps, is the cover photo for Miles Davis' album "Kind of Blue".

The spotlight of Jay Myself, however, is less focused on Maisel's photographic career than his personal world. The movie is a tour of "The Bank" - a six-story, 35,000-square-foot building at 190 Bowery in New York City. Once a Germania bank in the 1890s, this architectural wonder was purchased by Maisel in 1966 for $102,000 (an amount that was considered astronomical at the time), and it served as his home, studio, and archive for nearly half a century. It became a shrine to the things that Maisel admired and the life he led, filled with art, objects, and ephemera that he has collected over the years from his travels and daily expeditions.

The film captures Maisel's complex relationship with the building as he prepares to move out in 2015 after selling it for a reported $55 million. The heart of Jay Myself lies in this massive relocation effort, where Maisel, along with a team of assistants, has to manage thousands of boxes, decades of artwork, and a survey of items from his collected traveling mementos to his broad compilation of urban detritus.

In this emotional period of transition, former protégé, and filmmaker, Stephen Wilkes, honorably undertakes the daunting task of encapsulating this singular art figure’s spirit through his directorial debut. Wilkes, who worked with Maisel in the 1970s, bonds with his old mentor through shared memories and an intimate perspective, uniquely qualified to capture the scale and soul of Maisel's world.

The entire process of moving out plays out almost like an archaeological excavation, revealing countless stories about Maisel's life, artistic process, and the multilayered character of New York City itself. Jay Myself is, therefore, more than just a biography of an artist; it's also a tender farewell to a space that stands as an icon of the city's history.

Throughout the movie, Maisel's colorful personality takes center stage, displaying his passion for life and creativity. Maisel refuses to be pigeonholed as just a photographer; he's also an artist, a collector, a raconteur, a mentor, and a relentless observer of life and light. Jay Myself offers up choice nuggets of Maisel's wisdom on art and creativity, as well as his sharp-tongued humor. The stories he tells are as engaging and spirited as the thousands of objects that fill his eccentric home.

The cinematography is as masterful as one might expect from a film about a photographer, utilizing a mix of wide-angle and close-up shots to convey the grandeur and detail of Maisel's singular environment. Through each frame, viewers are invited to take a breathtaking visual journey that echoes Maisel's mantra, "One journey, many destinations."

In its heart, Jay Myself stands as a nostalgic eulogy to Maisel's life lived within the rambling corridors and chambers of The Bank. There's also an undercurrent of lament here, not just for a much-loved building but for the history, and essence of New York City that's slowly being eviscerated by commercialization and modernization.

Jay Myself is a showcase of an extraordinary artist, his peculiar lifestyle, and the building that played a significant role in his life and work. It is a heartfelt and moving tribute not only to a man and a building but also to an era that is quickly disappearing from the cultural fabric of New York City. Through his lens, the film becomes a celebration of Maisel's life, love for photography, and his monumental home. It manages to capture the essence of what makes Jay Maisel such a compelling figure by offering a remarkable portrait that is dense, rich, and beautifully complex, much like the man himself.