Lord Snowdon took this black and white shot of Laurence Olivier in 1957. It was bequeathed to me by the legendary production designer Michael Howells, who died in 2018. I worked as his art director for many years; together, we created a huge variety of work around the world, from Dior and Galliano fashion shows to ballet productions, film design and high-end retail installations, including the Dover Street Market Ginza store in Tokyo.
Michael was a mentor to me, so this gift from him after his death has a profound meaning. I feel incredibly lucky to have been trained by such a prodigious talent, and the piece will forever remind me of Michael and all the incredible jobs we worked on together.
The photograph has moved with us [Angus, Buchanan Studio’s creative director, and his partner Charlotte, the company’s CEO] to several different homes over the years, but it has always hung directly above my desk. There are many times when, as I am working through a solution to something, I will look up at that image and ask myself, ‘What would you do?’, hoping for some creative guidance from Michael.
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The picture keeps him in our thoughts and, over the years, has become even more special to both Charlotte and me. Michael was an exceptional talent and a rare creative genius, and he also had a wonderful sense of humour that often permeated his work. We feel this in the photograph – it’s a mischievous wink from him. He died too early, and it serves as a reminder that life is short and much of it ought not to be taken too seriously. buchanan.studio
