Irving Penn: Small TradesVirginia Heckert, Anne Lacoste
Getty Publications, 2009
Photographer Irving Penn (b. 1917) is renowned for his innovative contributions to portrait, still life, and fashion photography, and a career that has spanned more than six decades at Vogue magazine. In 1950, Vogue assigned Penn to photograph workers in Paris, and thus his monumental work The Small Trades began. Created in 1950 and 1951 in Paris, London, and New York, The Small Trades consists of portraits of skilled trades people dressed in their work clothes and carrying the tools of their respective trades. Capturing the humble coal heaver and the crisply dressed waiter with equal directness, Penn's arresting portraits also underscore fascinating cultural differences.
The Small Trades was Penn's most extensive body of work, and he returned to it over many decades, producing ever more exacting prints. Two hundred and six unique images from the series are flawlessly reproduced in this book. In addition, the introductory essay describes the history and context of The Small Trades series and its importance to Penn's career and the history of photography. An interview with Edmonde Charles-Roux, the chief editor for French Vogue from 1952 to 1966, who assisted him on the assignment in Paris, provides fascinating insights of the Paris sittings. An exhibition of the series will be on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum from September 9, 2009, through January 10, 2010.
Spacecraft 2: More Fleeting Architecture and HideoutsRobert Klanten, Lukas Feireiss
Die Gestalten Verlag, 2009
An inspiring survey of work by architects, artists and designers distinguished by a playful, unconventional use of space.
Capturing the Criminal Image: From Mug Shot to Surveillance SocietyJonathan Finn
University Of Minnesota Press, 2009
At the beginning of the twentieth century, criminals, both alleged and convicted, were routinely photographed and fingerprinted-and these visual representations of their criminal nature were archived for possible future use. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a plethora of new tools-biometrics, DNA analysis, digital imagery, and computer databases-similarly provide new ways for representing the criminal.
Capturing the Criminal Image traces how the act of representing-and watching-is central to modern law enforcement. Jonathan Finn analyzes the development of police photography in the nineteenth century to foreground a critique of three identification practices that are fundamental to current police work: fingerprinting, DNA analysis, and surveillance programs and databases. He shows these practices at work by examining specific police and border-security programs, including several that were established by the U.S. government after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Contemporary law enforcement practices, he argues, position the body as something that is potentially criminal.
As Finn reveals, the collection and archiving of identification data-which consist today of much more than photographs or fingerprints-reflect a reconceptualization of the body itself. And once archived, identification data can be interpreted and reinterpreted according to highly mutable and sometimes dubious conceptions of crime and criminality.
Design for a Living WorldAmi Vitale, Andy Grundberg
ASSOULINE, 2009
Design for a living world asks us to think about the products we use -where they come from, how they are made, and the impacts they have on our planet. The Nature Conservancy invited ten designers to create new objects from sustainable materials sourced from around the world. Wood, plants, wool, and other organic materials were transformed into intriguing objects, revealing extraordinary stories about regeneration and the human connection to the earth's lands and waters. Together, designers and consumers can reshape our materials economy and help advance a global conservation ethic by choosing sustainable materials that support, rather than deplete, endangered places.
More Things Like ThisMcSweeney's
Chronicle Books, 2009
Curated by the editors of McSweeney's, this unconventional book explores the intersection of text, humor, and illustration in art created by cartoonists, writers, musicians, and fine artists. A refreshing mixture of high, low, and sideways, the selection features nearly 300 images from dozens of contributors, including David Shrigley, Kurt Vonnegut, Leonard Cohen, Chris Johnson, David Mamet, and many more. Insightful interviews with the artists further illuminate the shared and divergent approaches they take in creating this smart, funny, and engaging work.
The sun as error
Shannon Ebner
LACMA 2009
Printmaking : a complete guide to materials & processes
Beth Grabowski & Bill Fick
Laurence King, 2009
