You and I [Hardcover]

Ryan McGinley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2011

Ryan McGinleys first retrospective monograph. For this beautifully realized volume the artist has selected the best photographs from his first decade of work. The first edition is sure to become one of McGinley's most collectable books. Ryan McGinley makes large-scale color photographs of his friends, a group that forms part of New York's Lower East Side youth culture. He uses photography to break down barriers between public and private spheres of activity. His subjects are willing collaborators: drawn from skateboard, music, and graffiti subcultures, they perform for the camera and expose themselves with a frank self-awareness that is distinctly contemporary. The results form a portrait of a generation that is savvy about visual culture and acutely aware of how identity can be communicated through photography. McGinley's newest work signals a departure from the urban youth culture images for which he is best known; he has been working in natural settings outside New York City, creating specific situations for his subjects to lose themselves in the moment. McGinley embraces nature as a site of freedom and captures a sense of buoyancy and release.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 198 pages
• Publisher: Twin Palms Publishers (December 21, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931885516
• ISBN-13: 978-1931885515
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 9.1 x 12.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars printing quality not as good as expected February 17, 2012

By chris_d

Format:Hardcover

So finally one of the most anticipated photo books of the last years has arrived. I was really looking forward to the book to get some of McGinley's older iconic images. As far as the image selection concerns, I am very satisfied. But as I have the two Dashwood books "Life adjustment center" and "Everybody...", I can understand the disappointment of other people, as there is not a single picture from the latter title and none of his B&W works in general.

I have read former reviews in which the paper and the printing quality are praised, so I was looking forward to seeing some of my favorite pictures in large size and great printing, but I absolutely can't agree. The paper is not bad, but just average, but I am more disappointed about the below-average printing quality: you can see the printing raster in each picture, the pictures seem blurred and some colors are unnatural. I know that the play with intense colors and deliberately blurred pictures are some of McGinley's intended stylistic traits, but comparing some of the same pictures in "Life Adjustment Center" to the printing in this book, I can clearly see quality differences. Twin Palms state on their website: "Our books are recognized for high-quality papers and printing", but I cannot agree. Just compare the paper and the whole production of the two Dashwood books if you have the opportunity, and you will realize that this is definitely not a very sophisticated production (on the other hand, the pictures in "Life..." are really small, too small, which is, at least from my point of view, not an uncommon problem, e.g. see "Early Color" by Saul Leiter, Slimane's Anthology, the Steidl reprint of Baltz' "Prototype Works" and so on).

I know that Twin Palms are able to do much better, as shown e.g. in Eggelston's "For Now", which has a larger scale, much better printing and is (was) still cheaper. But they really should try to deliver high quality constantly if they still want to be "recognized for high-quality papers and printing".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars You and I January 11, 2012

By Buffy

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Beautiful 'best of' collection featuring photographs from the past 10 years by Ryan McGinley. I'm usually not a fan of greatest hits type books but this is an exception. The material is cohesive and provides the best look in print at the various bodies of works he has produced. Production-wise this is first class with excellent color reproductions and a quality hardcover binding. There is another McGinley 'best of' collection due this spring so it will be interesting to see how the two books compare. For the time being this is the best McGinley book published to date and highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Wait February 1, 2012

By Will Van Beckum

Format:Hardcover

I have been anticipating this book for a long time and it does not disappoint. Ninety beautifully reproduced color plates, offering a comprehensive view of this young artist's exuberant work. Images included from the early the Kids are Alright, as well as Moonmilk, Life Adjustment Center, and Somewhere Place. Insightful essays by Vince Aletti and Sylvia Wolf.