Silent Cities: Portraits of a Pandemic: 15 Cities Across the World

(Hardback)

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A moving, recognizable look at life on lockdown and the effect the coronavirus pandemic had across the worldbecause every city had a story to tell, and at the end of it all, we were all in it together.

In the past year, hospitals filled, highways and subways emptied, landmarks and parks were deserted, our healthcare workers became increasingly fatigued and frustrated, and nearly all human activity paused. In photographs, The Great Wall and The Colosseum look photoshopped, with no tourists in sight. This book is unique in that it creates a visual narrative to document that emptiness as a way to reflect and to find solace amid the shock. A year later, it's something we've all seen and can relate to.

This is a stunning collection of the abandoned and austere sights of fifteen major cities throughout the world during the peak outbreak of COVID-19. With their fine art backgrounds and through their network of professional photographers, Julie and Jeffrey Loria worked together to capture the unprecedented lockdown conditions worldwide. The photos show a range of emotions from the physical and psychological weight of caskets being carried to a Rio cemetery, to the completely empty and eerie Times Square and Rodeo Drive, to the patriotic pride in Rome's t-shirt display honoring their Italian flag colors as a symbol of hope. The photographs are not only a reminder of the harrowing pandemic that hushed some of the worlds greatest urban streets, but also proof that across the globe, we were all in this together. Beneath the somberness in these images, there is a hint of beauty amid the stillness, but most of all, there is the presence of hope and promise that we will thrive again. Cities featured include:

• New York
• Jerusalem
• Boston
• Tokyo
• Paris
• Los Angeles
• Rome
• Rio de Janeiro
• San Francisco
• Washington, DC
• London
• Miami
• Tel Aviv
• Madrid
• Chicago

Reviews

"A conceptual compilation of impressive places that seem to come from our collective memory, as each of us knows them.But something crucial is different in the usual places.The planet seems to have come to a standstill.Completely emptied, these images speak to us and question the testimonies of human civilization and culture in an unforgettable manner.A brilliant job that makes us think."
Andreas Gursky

The books shocking images together evoke empathy and promise during a new time when our essential cities were masked into stillness.
Laurent Le Bon, Director, Centre Pompidou, Paris

"A powerfultribute to 2020theyear we never saw, but will never forget.Silent Cities captures that hauntingshared moment in our collective history."
Maya Lin,Architect and Sculptor

"InSilent CitiesJeffrey and Julie Loria have given usa magnificent and poignant document, full ofbeauty, majesty, and heartbreak. In 2020, the public life of our greatcities suddenly ceased and they became eerily, hauntingly empty.Silent Citiesisa vital record of this extraordinary and awful time. I know it will be every bit as compelling when our cities are silent no more."
Paul Goldberger, Architecture Critic, author of Why Architecture Matters

"Silent Cities is an arresting photographic compendium of some of the world's great publicplaces at pause,as if they were theatrical stage sets waiting for the drama of daily life to begin again."
Robert A.M. Stern,Architect

Author Bio

Jeffrey Loriais an internationally recognized art dealer specializing in 19th and 20th-century Masterworks. He is also the former owner of the Major League Miami Marlins professional baseball team, where he won a World Series in 2003. He is the author ofCollecting Original Artandrecently completedFrom the Front Row, a book of reflections on his dual careers. Jeffrey is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Graduate School of Business. His interest in supporting universities, schools, hospitals, museums, and other charities have been a constant for him throughout his life. He was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government for his commitment to promoting the culture of France in America.

Julie Loriais the author of two cookbooks and anart dealer specializing in contemporary works. Hermost recent book, The Game of Eating Smart, featuresher interviews with top Major League Baseball playersand their approach to healthy eating. After graduatingfrom Mount Holyoke College, Julie worked as amarketing executive before becoming an art dealer.She received a Royal Society of Arts Diploma in Fineand Decorative Arts in Paris, France. While living inParis, she honed her culinary interests at the Frenchcooking school La Cuisine de Marie-Blanche. Julie ison the advisory board of the Mount Holyoke CollegeArt Museum.