Photo Art [Paperback]

Uta Grosenick (Editor), Thomas Seelig (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

More adventurous in scope than other comparable compendiums, Photo Art is a vast critical survey of contemporary conceptual-oriented photography. It particularly addresses the work of artists emerging in Western and Eastern Europe--many of whom will be new to American audiences--and presents critical contexts for their work in accompanying essays. Gathering more than 120 image-makers from around the globe, this luscious compendium reads like an international art fair between covers, with the work of artists to watch now and in the future, from established figures to representatives of the newest generation. Among the artists featured here are Roy Arden, the Atlas Group, Seung Woo Back, Richard Billingham, Gerard Byrne, Claude Closky, Natalie Czech, Tacita Dean, Luc Delahaye, Ruud van Empel, J.H. Engstrom, Charles Freger, Stephen Gill, G.R.A.M., Beate Gutschow, Jitka Hanzlova, Annika von Hausswolff, Michael Janiszewski, Aglaia Konrad, Justine Kurland, An-My Le, Jochen Lempert, Zbigniew Libera, Hellen van Meene, Multiplicity, Wangechi Mutu, Mika Ninagawa, Arno Nollen, Gabor Osz, Peter Piller, Xavier Ribas, Torbj0rn R0dland, Anri Sala, Jules Spinatsch, Eve Sussman, Alec Soth, Santiago Sierra, Janaina Tschape, Jens Ullrich, Santos R. Vasquez, Qingsong Wang, Michael Wesely, Yang Fudong and Takashi Yasumura. Each artist's work is given a generous four-page spread, and many of these are embellished with installation views, book layouts and shots of artist's websites. Essays by 20 of the world's top international curators and theorists, including Uta Grosenick and Thomas Seelig, along with a glossary of important technical and theoretical terms, make this a definitive and essential volume.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Aperture (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597110620
• ISBN-13: 978-1597110624
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting survey of art photography, better than most others, December 14, 2008

By 

N. Grenier - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photo Art (Paperback)

Compared to many other books of the same genre ("Art Photography Now", "Blink", etc.), PHOTOart provides a more interesting variety of artists. Each of the 112 artists featured in the book has three pages of images together with a page of text about the works (usually well written and long enough to have some substance, which is definitely a big plus). The book also includes a preface, an essay on the aesthetics of photography, a glossary and a short bio about each writer and editor involved.

The only drawback is the absence of a real text or essay to contextualize and justify the choice of the artists. Any pretension to do "a comprehensive survey of photography in the early 21st century" without a description of the curating process can't be taken too seriously as such, and this for me is a big problem.

As far as I know, the only other book on contemporary art photography that I found as relevant as this one is "Vitamin Ph", which has a bit more info on each artist. The two books together would be a good combination.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Response to PHOTOart, June 22, 2009

By 

Erica Hall (Bismarck, North Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photo Art (Paperback)

I bought this book as a gift for my best friend who is a photographer, thinking he would love it and it would be a great coffee table book in the waiting room of his new studio. The book arrived, and he did love it, but my original "coffee table in the studio" idea for this book was nixed due to the several sexual photographs included in this collection, and the inappropriateness of that for his family friendly studio. I'm aware the book features contemporary photography, and I completely understand nudity in art- I have no problem with either one! But it would have just been helpful knowing more detail about the content of this book prior to purchase.
A more pleasant surprise was that the book was much larger than I had expected! At least 2-2.5 inches thick.
Also, the artist autobiographies are a great part of this book- I always think it's interesting to hear the artists' point-of-view on their art; why they did that piece etc., so readers can understand the background of the photos and learn about their ideas and techniques.
Overall, the book was interesting and enjoyable, showing a wide variety of styles and photographers from all backgrounds. Great for people with an interest in photography and/or other arts.