The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined

Book Cover Design | Interior Design & Layout | Art Direction
client: Maya Stein

THE PROJECT:  When the 2020 pandemic hit and lockdowns began, Maya Stein learned of the “museum at home” challenge launched by the Instagram account @tussenkunstenquarantaine and then made popular by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

The invitation was to re-create a work of art using only a handful of props, and then share it online. After attempting a few classic works, she decided instead to re-create portraits of contemporary artists. This allowed her to connect and interact with the artists themselves. Maya reenacted more than 75 portraits from modern-day artists (mostly women) from around the world; The Poser is a collection of 38 of these. Part art book, part essay series, part something else entirely, The Poser is a collection of contemporary portrait reenactments completed in the spring of 2020.

Maya and I worked together to create the world of “the poser”, designing a home for the artists’ work and for the images of her recreations as well as the essays that accompany each image—and in process with The Poser, we (along with Maya’s wife Amy TIngle) began a small press and publishing imprint.

The Poser is the first title in a future line of books that will feature the voices of women and gender diverse people—folks who often struggle to find a platform in which to publish their work. We’re creating a publishing ecosystem that lives and thrives on collaboration, mutual benefit, and equity.

If you’re interested, you can find out more at Toad Hall Editions.

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