Black Maps: American Landscape and the Apocalyptic Sublime

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By David Maisel ’84

Published Jan. 21, 2016

(Steidle) The culmination of 30 years of work, Black Maps features over 100 photographs focusing on the human impact on the environment. From mining sites to the Los Angeles skyline, Maisel’s aerial photographs rely on abstraction to create a jarring narrative of environmental destruction. Maisel is a San-Francisco-based photographer whose work is in the permanent collections of major art museums around the globe.

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The October 2025 cover of PAW, featuring an illustration of a woman dressed like Superman, but the S on her chest is a dollar sign.
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