I have to admit at the outset that I haven't even seen, let alone read, most of the photo books contained in the annual year end roundup. The sheer volume of books contained in these lists, though, is encouraging to photographers hoping one day to publish their own work. From what I can see here, large format photo books are not only alive, but flourishing.
The most comprehensive list I found was that published by American Photographer. After culling the usual celebrity "coffee table" books, such as those on Marilyn Monroe and the Rolling Stones (I'd much prefer to listen to their music), those I found of greatest personal interest were: Robert Capa (text by Richard Whelan), Lillian Bassman: Lingerie (text by Eric Himmel), and Lewis Hine. Although all three are among the very best American photographers, they rarely receive the attention they are due, perhaps because their work has fallen out of fashion or perhaps because it was never "flashy" enough to begin with.
An "alternative selection" published by the Guardian was a more idiosyncratic list and contained works inexplicably ignored by American Photographer. Chief among these was Billy Monk: Nightclub Photographs and Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album. The examples I had previously seen of Hopper's unknown photos from 1960's New York had only made me eager for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment