Bill Brandt: Shadow and Light

(Hardback)

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Description

Bill Brandt was the pre-eminent British photographer of the twentieth century and a founding father of photography's modernist tradition, whose half-century-long career defies neat categorization. This publication presents the photographer's entire oeuvre, with special emphasis on his investigation of English life in the 1930s and his innovative late nudes. The Museum of Modern Art has been exhibiting and collecting Brandt's photographs since the late 1940s, and recently has more than doubled its collection of vintage prints of his work, which form the core of this selection. An essay by Sarah Hermanson Meister sets his life and work in the context of twentieth century photographic history. Brandt's printing style changed dramatically over the course of his career, and this will be a secondary focus. With rich duotone illustrations that highlight the special characteristics of Brandt's prints, this volume will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars alike. Lee Ann Daffner contributes an illustrated glossary of Brandt's retouching techniques, enhancing the appreciation of Brandt's printing processes. The book also includes a generously illustrated appendix of Brandt's published photo-stories during the Second World War, which will clarify the trajectory of Brandt's career as never before.

Reviews

British photographer Bill Brandt, who died in 1983, has been one of the most published of his generation. The bibliography is significant and the authors varied, but the reproductions of the images have remained largely the same - pictures of England's upper and lower classes, landscape, portraits (especially authors), and studies of the female nude.--C. Bunnell "Choice"
In contrast to an alternate new book of Brandt's nudes, this volume shows his full range, including studies of working-class Londoners in the 1930s and surreal French landscapes in the 1950s.--Jack Crager "American Photo"
This survey takes a long-overdue, in-depth look at one of the true giants of modern photography.--Howard Halle "Time Out Magazine"

Author Bio

Sarah Hermanson Meister is a Curator in the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Lee Ann Daffner is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservator of Photographs at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.