ICONS OF PHOTOGRAPHY – The 20th Century

Inbunden bok. Prestel. 2005. 200 sidor.

Nyskick. –– ABSOLUT NYSKICK, oläst! – (Obet. ytmärken på de mjuka pärmarna.) – Se fler bilder! ––

Ninety seminal images by the world's greatest artists provide a stunning tour of the twentieth-century's greatest photographs. From the first image, Heinrich Zille's "Nine Boys Practising Handstands" to the final, Nan Goldin's backstage portrait of transvestite performers, this generously illustrated volume explores photography's impact on the way we experience the world. Every major photographer is represented in double-page spreads, which feature one full-page image, a brief essay on the artist, and additional images of note. Presented chronologically, photographs testify to the evolution of an art form that is continually reinventing itself. From portraiture, photojournalism, and abstraction, to landscape, fashion, and works that transcend genre labels, the selection of masterworks presented here demonstrates the beauty of photography in all its variety.

"The icons to which the title refers are the photographers of the 20th century rather than, necessarily, the images they make, though the two are closely linked of course. And overall I would say the book does a rather good job of identifying key photographers and typical examples of their work.
As it says on the cover of the book, there are a total of 160 images that cover some 95 photographers, presented chronologically through the 20th century. The majority of the examples are black and white, which is not surprising since that is the history of the medium.
The book starts with Heinrich Zille (pre 1900) and goes through to Martin Parr (2000). Each photographer is represented by a large example of their work and a number also get a smallish thumbnail as a second example. Good biographical sketches accompany each work and there is a short essay on photography in the 20th centruy by Peter Stepan, the book's editor. Difficult to think of anybody they have missed, though I note that they did not include Harry Callahan, something of a favourite of mine, nor Andreas Gursky, who might be too late of course.
Almost all the photographs chosen are of a very high standard, and some are outstanding examples. There are, perhaps, slightly too many German photographers that I have never heard of but, on the other hand, some of their work I really enjoyed and want to find out more about them. And that probably is the best way to regard this book, a good overview that will allow the reader that does not have a comprehensive knowledge of the history of photography and its practitioners to identify someone that they would like to know more about. It worked for me on this basis."

–– GLÖM INTE ATT TITTA PÅ ALLA MINA ANDRA BÖCKER! –– Samma fraktpris oavsett hur många böcker du beställer! (Gäller inom Sverige)