Jerry Berndt: Beautiful America

(Hardback)

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Jerry Berndt documented the period between 1968 and 1980 in America like no other photographer. Personally involved in the anti- Vietnam War activities of the 1960s, Berndt's work combines photojournalism with documentary, conceptual and street photography to create a unique view of America's social constitution during these decisive years. Berndt consistently placed himself near political conflict, systematically portraying the spectrum of America's people and cityscapes, including the middle and working classes, as well as the inhabitants of America's often ignored ghettos. His work from this period shows how Americans expressed themselves culturally and socially, while exposing the foundation of America's changeable urban infrastructure. This book visualizes an important, uneasy period of transition in America's recent history, and highlights the literal and ironic aspects of its "beauty."

Reviews

Frustrated by how little she could discover about her Aunt Constance, Green, a visual artist, has confected a life for her in a pastiche of a mid-century family scrapbook.-- "New Yorker"
The gritty portraits of Beautiful America sum up the irony of this country's origin spotlighting the thick layer of dirt covering America's infamous reputation; an empire built on stolen land, the labor of enslaved Black people, and the abuse of white privilege for unruly power.--Peter Kougias "Musee"
A gorgeous book that's hard to explain but is highly worth reading from an author who doesn't get nearly enough attention for her brilliance.--Roxane Gay

Author Bio

Jerry Berndt, born in 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, worked as a photographer for over forty years, employed by newspapers and magazines including the Boston Globe, the New York Times, Newsweek and Paris Match. His work as a photojournalist took him to numerous conflict areas such as San Salvador (1984), Haiti (1986-91), Armenia (1993-94) and Rwanda (2003-04). Berndt taught at Boston University's College of Fine Art and at the University of Massachusetts, and his work is held by prominent institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Bibliothque Nationale de France in Paris. In 2008, Berndt was honored by a retrospective in Braunschweig and Berlin, for which Steidl published Insight. Berndt died in Paris in 2013.