Wisdom: Life [Paperback]

Andrew Zuckerman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can give to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience, award-winning photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman has captured the voices, physical presence, and written word of iconic over-65-year olds to create profound, honest, and truly revealing portraits.  Based on his acclaimed large-format book Wisdom, published in Fall 2008, these new, well-priced smaller books and films – included here on DVDs – provide an extraordinary legacy for the generations that follow and timeless portraits of the common themes that unite us all.

Ideas features the thoughts and photographs of such legends as Chuck Close, Dave Brubeck, Jane Goodall, Kris Kristofferson, Kurt Masur, Ravi Shankar, and Robert Redford, among others.

Life features the thoughts and photographs of such legends as Andrew Wyeth, Billie Jean King, Burt Bacharach, Buzz Aldrin,  and Frank Gehry, among others.

Love features the thoughts and photographs of such legends as Edward M. Kennedy, Jacques Pepin, Nadine Gordimer, Vanessa Redgrave, and Desmond Tutu, among others.  

Peace features the thoughts and photographs of such legends as Madeleine Albright, Henry Kissinger, Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Willie Nelson, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, among others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andrew Zuckerman was born in Washington DC in 1977. After an internship at the International Center of Photography in New York, he attended New York University’s School of Visual Arts to study photography and film, and graduated in 1999. His photography and film work has been commissioned extensively for leading international brands, and he has received numerous awards including the D&AD Yellow Pencil award for excellence in photography. 

Wisdom, a book, film, and traveling exhibition, was launched in October 2008, and is Zuckerman's most ambitious project to date. With the support of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he traveled the globe to photograph and interview the world’s most eminent elders, creating a comprehensive account of their perspectives and an inspirational record to pass down for generations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Abrams; Pap/DVD edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810984393
• ISBN-13: 978-0810984394
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrew Zuckerman (American, b.1977)

Noted filmmaker and photographer, Andrew Zuckerman, utilizes a multitude of platforms to produce work that is systematically executed, conceptually based, and democratically presented. Minimalist in nature, Zuckerman aims to create atmospheres of clarity and neutrality to facilitate the viewer's access to the material. His commitment to diversifying the points of entry into his work has garnered a global audience.

Zuckerman studied at the International Center of Photography before going on to receive his BFA from the School of Visual Arts. He first made his mark on the publishing world with the 2007 release of the CREATURE, a compendium of intimate animal portraits set against Zuckerman's signature white background. He has since explored this distinctive approach - which divorces subjects from their context and equalizes the larger conversation between them - in three additional critically acclaimed multi-media projects: WISDOM (2008), BIRD (2009), and MUSIC (2010). Renowned designer, Massimo Vignelli, has lauded Zuckerman's "uncompromising notion of space in which any object becomes its own essence." His books have been translated into numerous languages and published in 18 international editions.

Exhibitions of Zuckerman's work include a solo show of photographs from CREATURE at the Forma International Center of Photography in Milan and the ongoing WISDOM traveling exhibition, featuring portraits and interviews with extraordinary individuals over the age of 65, including Nelson Mandela, Andrew Wyeth, and Chuck Close. In July 2008, Zuckerman's portrait of Nelson Mandela appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Zuckerman's companion film to BIRD has been exhibited on The High Line in New York City in 2009, and at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston in 2010. Photographs from BIRD were on display at Colette in Paris. His short film, "High Falls," premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and was selected as Best Short Film at the Woodstock Film Festival the same year. Most recently, Zuckerman interviewed and photographed over fifty eminent musicians, composers, and producers (from Ornette Coleman to Iggy Pop) for the MUSIC project, which was realized as a book, film, and iPad app.

Zuckerman's work has been commissioned by influential international brands and for inclusion in major private collections. He lives with his family in New York City.