Artist Recreates Iconic Photographs Using John Malkovich as Subject

Two years ago, photographer Sandro Miller wanted to pay homage to his mentor, Irving Penn, by recreating Penn’s iconic portrait of author Truman Capote.

That’s when he realized that his friend, actor John Malkovich, looked a bit like Capote. Since then, Malkovich, who has known Miller for more than 17 years, has become the subject of several iconic portraits recreated by Miller as tribute to some of the world’s most masterful photographers.

“For me, John is a beautiful, clean canvas ready for paint. He is extremely open minded, never fearful and always willing to go to places most actors of his caliber would avoid,” Miller wrote in a press release. “His willingness to play dress up, and become the subject of some of the most iconic images from history, is a true gift.”

The show, called Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters, will open at the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago on Nov. 7 and run through Jan. 31. If you can’t get enough of John Malkovich, then watch out for the actor/muse’s exclusive interview with French publication 7-POST and French newspaper Liberation.