James Fee [Hardcover]

Craig Krull (Author), James Fee (Author), Sal Scalora (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2001

James Fee has been taking photographs for most of his life, and in the past decade he has developed a large and loyal following of critics and enthusiasts across the world of fine art photography. The 1990s was a prolific decade for Fee, who has in the last ten years produced several compelling series of works, all of which are documented in this essential new monograph. Presented here are the many black and white photographs of American icons and imagery that are thematically connected by Fee's obsession with the decline and destruction of the America that he knew as a young man: we see his series of New York imagery, including the Chrysler building and the Brooklyn Bridge; pictures of the crumbling Penn State penitentiary, Beat-inspired photographs of the American road; a distinctive and unique series of nude imagery; as well as his innovative collaborations with multimedia artist George Herms. Finally, presented here for the first time is a unique series of photographs taken on the South Pacific Island of Pelelui, a series which offers a glimpse at a long, very personal project for Fee, inspired by the photographs his father took while posted on the island during the Second World War.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This first monograph on Fee accompanies two major gallery exhibitions in California. Fee has done editorial photography for such publications as Vanity Fair and Entertainment Weekly, but this publication focuses on his fine arts work from the past ten years. Fee physically manipulates his photographs and negatives in the darkroom, adding toners and chemical stains that result in beautiful glows of bronze and blue. This effect adds to a sense of decay in his dark, iconographic imagery of America, featured in the photos that make up the first half of this book. Also included are collaborations between Fee and Beat sculptor George Herms. This publication is beautifully illustrated, and Fee's stature warrants its acquisition (his works are in many major museum collections), but the book is regrettably lacking in such basic elements as a table of contents, exhibition history, and bibliography. For major photography collections. D'Arcy Curwan, Bryn Mawr Coll., PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

James Fee was born in Knoxville, Iowa, but has been a long-time resident of California. Since 1993 he has taught at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has been taking photographs for over 30 years, but has only recently-over the past eight years-begun to publicly exhibit his work.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: St. Ann's Press; First Edition edition (January 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967174422
• ISBN-13: 978-0967174426
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,412,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is real good, October 29, 2001

By 

Ron Cowie - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Fee (Hardcover)

I saw work by James Fee in some galleries and it really blew off the top of my head. He's doing crazy things to an image and the results are great. The subject matter here moves from iconographic images of he US, sunken ships in Southeast Asia, to impressionistic nudes. The great thing about him is none of these images have been digitally manipulated. If you are a photographer and looking for a book to shake things up a bit, James Fee will not dissapoint. What makes this book succeed is that it's not just about the process, there is a real communication happening. I keep coming back to the book for ideas and inspiration. Owning this book will only do good things for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fee Extraordinaire, January 11, 2007

By 

Barbara Grimball (Anderson, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: James Fee (Hardcover)

This book by James Fee reveals the depth of this photographer's range to capture the essence of America in all her beauty, abandonment, and reverie. Fee was a remarkable photographer who unfortunately passed away in 2006, but kept shooting stunning images until the end, even while leaning on a walker and using portable oxygen.

Inspiring and transcendent in range and scope, this book is a must for anyone interested in the talent of an American original. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality Check, September 20, 2001

By 

Ray Chi (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Fee (Hardcover)

The images of New York are as haunting as it is today after the attack. Fee's photographs of the Statue of Liberty and NY are dark, emotional and surreal. It makes you think of a future that can easily become reality if we remain too naive to recognize our own stupidity.