Master Breasts: Objectified, Aesthetisized, Fantasized, Eroticized, Feminized by Photography's Most Titillating Masters . . . (Hardcover)

by Francine Prose (Author), Karen Finley (Author), Dario Fo (Author), Charles Simic (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The most revealing look at breasts.

Photographs of breasts are everywhere: in museums, on book covers, in fashion ads, and on posters. Alluring symbols of womanhood, breasts have fascinated generations of image makers. Here, for the first time between two covers, is the breast in photography: the titillating breast, the maternal breast, the aging breast, and the symbolic breast.

In Master Breasts, darkly witty political images of the 1970s jostle for space with Edward Weston's classic nudes; Nan Goldin's friends share pages with Robert Mapplethorpe's gorgeously sculptured models. From Alfred Stieglitz's classic studies of Georgia O'Keeffe to Mary Ellen Mark's vivid documentary portraits, they are all here. Other artists include Cindy Sherman, Imogen Cunningham, and Sally Mann.

A witty and reflective Introduction from the acclaimed novelist and essayist Francine Prose further links the images, while a monologue from Karen Finley's recent performance piece American Chestnut, "The Detective," reveals a young girl's anguish about breast-inspired catcalls and jokes and then sardonically calls for similar cultural treatment of the male anatomy. Finally, in Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo's radically funny play The Story of the Tiger, the benefits of breast-feeding are celebrated as never before.


About the Author
Francine Prose is the author of nine novels.

Karen Finley is a New York-based performance artist and author.

Dario Fo was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997.

Charles Simic is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, essayist, and translator.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 124 pages
• Publisher: Aperture; 1st edition (September 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893818038
• ISBN-13: 978-0893818036
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,445,702 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight, and fresh "views" of the breast., April 6, 2001

By	Alex J. Avriette "Alex Avriette" (Arlington, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Perhaps not quite what we expected. We (my girlfriend and I) are both interested in what roles the breast plays in sociology and in culture, and hoped this book would grant us some fresh perspectives.

There are very interesting and provocative (but I certainly wouldnt call them erotic by any means) images in this book, as well as some fascinating art. Some of it we really would love to have framed.

The images are suitable for anyone to look at, with only a few being tantalizing or vaguely... scintillating. It's the kind of book that is good to read sitting down with company and see how you and others react. Perfectly suitable for a bookshelf or coffeetable.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 16, 2004

By	Francis Sawwyer "Francis Sawwyer" (Central Park, NY) - See all my reviews

THis is THE book for Big Breast lovers, which, in this modern age, is a relatively rare phenomenon.

7 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Breast views., February 21, 1999

By A Customer

To use the words of Meema Spadola, breasts are symbols of sexuality, motherhood, and power. This book by Prose and Simic explores the spectrum of possibilities in this wide range of meanings. This is, though, photographic ART. Those who think that art should be readily pleasurable, appreciated, or liked may find themselves challenged by this format. If you feel that art should be challenging, you may find this book appealing. On viewing it one may be stimulated by novel and sometimes not necessarily pleasurable thoughts. This seems to contradict the implication in the title that there is something necessarily `titillating" here. (Certainly the concept seems to stretch more common notion what is exciting, nasty and fun). For that I would deduct two stars.