Modern Art Obsession

Great New Photobook #2 - Conditions by Andres Marroquin Winkleman

Great New Photobook #2 - Conditions, (2010) by photographer Andres Marroquin Winkleman.

Well.. this book might be the best kept secret of the 2010 photobook publishing world.

Hardcover, Left & Right Binding
128 pages, 56 full color plates
26x21cm (10.2x8.2in)
offset printed
edition size: 300

This is the very first amazingg project of the newbie emerging photo art book publisher Meier und Müller.

Like..

Who??

Yes...  that was.. 

Meier und Müller a new photobook publisher, and you thought this business was DOA.  (We guess, the company name, it's like "Smith and Jones" but in German.. a la.. photobooks for the common man. We can't wait to see what they do next.)

Anyway.. this new publisher is the brainchild of Photographer Andres Marroquin Winkleman and from the Godfather of the photo blog world.. Dr. Jorg M. Colberg..aka.. Conscientious.com. And all we at MAO have to say.. it's one super damn impressive first attempt. Congrats Gentleman!

Astutely edited by renown photographer Adam Bartos, Conditions is actually not just one nice photobook, it's more like 2 brilliant photobooks in one smart and thoughtful designed package. We found this presentation both totally fresh and innovative, plus we have never seen such a cool, very Japanese Provoke inspired Belly band included with this package! I bet, you'll find yourself flipping through these books so many times because each reading tells a slightly different story. 

But, the nifty design is not just for design sake. In this photobook's case the physical exterior packaging harmoniously supports the interior image meanings and concepts. Making for a melodious photographic project.

Well.. first off, before I go one gushing anymore, to understand what the hell MAO is talking about, you just have to see how special this book is. So check out this cute video....

"Conditions", Andrés Marroquín Winkelmann from Meier und Müller on Vimeo.

Pretty Cool? Right?? Who would have thought a bunch of rigid well studied Germans could have pulled this off! So Move Over Little Brown Mushroom Books.. there's a new smarter german kid in town!

Winkleman's images explore the concepts of "us" and "them", and they truly show the reader, 2 fractions of a place, and how people can co-inhabit a community but living parallel lives. This is strongly explored by flipping through both sides of this dual book. It allows the reader to create numerous diptychs, and hence every reading tells a slightly different story, just as each individual experience different realities within society.   

So.. Yes.. We enjoyed this photo project, the dark and quiet images even reminded us of work by some of our favorite photographers... Wolfgang Tillmans, Laura Letinsky, and maybe even a little Paul Graham.

So just 2 additional MAO picky thought/suggestions to the publishers, if when they do a second edition..

1. While we liked the informative essay by the Godfather of the photo blog world.. Dr. Jorg M. Colberg. We really would have loved if this book had included a list of photo titles/credits.. cause we're still guessing about some of these images. Which I guess was totally intentional....

2. It could have used a printed title somewhere on the spine of the case. FYI.. Once you put this wonderful little black book on a bookshelf.. you may never find it again!!  It's just a solid black unmarked spine/edge.. so we totally lost this book for a week in our messy NYC loft. OUCH!  

Anyway... Conditions is an edition of only 300 books.. all numbered.. so if you have any interest in this wonderful book.. you better get one very soon!!

 You can order it here.  

It's sure to sell out fast because we herd they make outstanding stocking stuffers.

New Great Photobook #1 - Infidel by Tim Hetherington

New Great Photobook #1 - Infidel by Tim Hetherington.

This is one of the best new photobooks we've seen in 2010.

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Chris Boot (September 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches

Infidel is an intimate photo essay of a U.S. Army platoon assigned to an outpost in one of the most hostile areas of the Koregal Vallery in Afganastan.

We loved both the Hetherington photos as well as the thoughtful design and production quality of this book. It's been printed in the size and style of an Army Field Manual or maybe even The Bible. It has a thick black plastic cover, with nothing but a tattoo style drawing of the word Infidel.  (Photo #1, Infidel book cover)

This is not your typical macho wartime soldier photo essay. The young soldiers in Hetherington's photos look relaxed and almost casual in their hostile environment.

This series comes across surprisingly tender and with a surprising amount of vulnerabilility even while many of these men are sporting huge guns and camouflage uniforms.

The viewer can't help but feel at times these photos seem raw,  sexy, and of course a bit homo erotic. 

Much of this book remined us of the best early work by art photographer Adi Nes...

(Photo #2, Tim Hetherington, The members of 2nd Platoon "get to know one-another", 2008 )

Throughout the entire book, there are numerous detail photographic images along side drawn images ofthe body tattoos on these soldiers.

Yes..

We just loved this book, and find ourselves picking it up again and again.

See what you think.. maybe you'll agree with MAO that it's possibly one of the best photobooks of 2010.

More details on the book here.... http://www.chrisboot.com/new_infidel.html

(Photo #3, Image Credit: Sergeant Elliott Alcantara, Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. 2008)

About Tim Hetherington
Tim Hetherington was born in Liverpool, UK, and took up photojournalism after studying literature at Oxford University. Awards for his photojournalism include a Hasselblad Foundation Award (2002), World Press Photo of the Year 2007 (for a photograph featured in the Infidel), the Rory Peck Award for TV Features (2008), and an Alfred I duPont Award (2009).  Tim Hetherington is also an acclaimed documentary filmmaker who has reported on conflict and social issues for over ten years. This recent work of platoon soldiers in Afghanistan includes the film Restrepo, co-directed and co-produced with Sebastian Junger, and was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.  Tim is based in New York and is a contributing photographer to Vanity Fair magazine.

The Best and Most Useful Books about PhotoBooks!!

The Best Books about PhotoBooks!!

So.. at MAO we got an email the other day asking what the best resources are for collecting photobooks. Sadly.. we accidentally deleted this person's email.. SHIT...OOPS!  So we couldn't answer this person directly. My apologies to that person! 

BUT, Since it's a good topic, we thought it was worthwhile of a full posting filled with our vapid, self serving  studied thoughts on this important topic.

FYI.. We are going to be dedicating the next few blog posts to some new and exciting photobook discoveries.. so stay tuned Photobook geeksAficionados!

OK.. So what are THE BEST books on Collecting Photobooks? Well, Here is MAO's list.. in a totally biased order of importance..

1. Andrew Roth's (Editor)... The Book of 101 Books. The: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century.

This is the book which set the standard for photobook reference guides. It was the first major collection of photobooks widely published...and it remains the benchmark.

With 2 to 4 pages for each book, the textbook is well researched.. and has put together some of the best minds on the topic of important photography books.

This  is a MUST have for any serious photobook collector. 

FYI.. It was

this reference book has also been largely responsible for increasing the prices ten fold  for any photobook even mentioned inside these pages. 

2. Haselblad.. The Open Book,  Photographs by numerous contributing photographers.
Hasselblad Center, Goteberg, 2005. 423 pp., 404 illustrations, 8x10".

The book was published in conjunction with the Hasselblad Center. Edited by Andrew Roth.

Contributions by Simon Anderson, Ute Eskildsen, Philip Arons, Gerhard Steidl, Robert Frank and Hasse Persson. There was an exhibition that ran from June 17 to September 4, 2005,

"A history of the photographic book from 1878 to 2005."

Sadly we missed this show in 2005!

The list within this text is chronological.

It's a great and thoughtfull collection,

but,

sadly this book has no informative or descriptive text about any of the photobooks, it just has a few pictures and the minimum about each book.

3. PARR I - The Photobook: A History, Vol. 1 [Hardcover] by Martin Parr (Author), Gerry Badger (Author).

This reference book probably includes as many as 200 photobooks.

It's got 9 chapters, and really covers a full range of the best historical photography books.

Many were little known or infrequently seen titles..but now frequently show up at book fairs and auctions with big price tags.

Rumors always circle that these opportunistic authors/editors bought up as many as possible of these photobooks before they published this text book. Hmm.... MAO wonders how this effected which photobook got included?

All suspicions aside, this is a well researched text book, with a lot of detailed information about each of the photobooks included.

Most of you will know Martin Parr..as an accomplished  British color photographer, "some people" would even say Martian Parr is a better scholar/bookmaker than a photographer.

 MAO's not 100% sure..but we've heard several people say this. You be the judge.

This one is A must for any photobook collector.

Note: Copies of this textbook are available on amazon.... 2nd or 3rd editions!

4. Aperture Foundation's Japanese Photobooks of the 1960 - 1980's by

RYUICHI KANEKO(essay) is a curator at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and an expert on Japanese photography and Japanese photobooks.

IVAN VARTANIAN (editor and essays) anthologized and translated Setting Sun: Writings by Japanese Photographers (Aperture, 2006).

This is probably the best book on photobooks we've ever seen.

The content is great, it's well published, and very deeply researched. Thsi book truely makes the world of Japanese photography accessible to people who don't speak Japanese! 

So it would have been number 1 in our list, but since it is just 100% japanese photobook focused..we have to put it number 4.

5. AUER - 802 Photobooks from the M + M Auer Collection.

This is a private collection of photobooks..

aka This is someone putting it all out there for everyone to see drool over!

 these 802 books are listed by dates, and there is almost no additional information about each of the ones included.

You can read more about this small gem of a book here..from blogger 5B4

I believe this was self published..

But, FYI

you can buy a copy directly here.

http://www.auerphotobooks.com/doku.php?id=photo_books

6. George Eastman Library - Imagining Paradise: The Richard and Ronay Menschel Library

at The George Eastman House, Rochester [Hardcover]

By Manfred Heiting (Editor), Sheila Foster (Editor), Rachel Stuhlman (Editor), Saskia Asse (Contributor)

So this is also a very large format book...288 pages. This one is very well researched with lots of text to describe each of the books.

But, these are mostly very historical photobooks, most are pre-1960.. about 250 books are listed. Many of these books are totally unknown to modern photobook collecting people. Mostly cause these are OLD RARE books..think VERY expensive and impossible to find, except for a few important libraries around the world.

But this text book brings together several important scholars, and lots of color pictures of the books. So, you'll almost feel like you've to the Eastman House! 

This textbook is also available...on Amazon..I'd guess not too many people have seen this book of photobooks.

7. PARR II - The Photobook: A History - Volume 2 [Hardcover] Martin Parr (Author), Gerry Badger (Author)

Well.. this one is a much more subjective book of more current photobooks.

There are some real gems in here.. plus some you'll scratch you head as to why they were included.

It's also filled with great information about the

history of the photobook.

So very useful.. but the books in here are not as collectible.

Well... This reference book is probably also a must have..

but.. hey...

You be the judge.

There are rumors that PAR III is soon to be in bookstores!

8. Bertolotti - Books of Nudes [Hardcover] Alessandro Bertolotti  (Author), Abrams, Dec 2007.

This is a large well illustrated book of photobooks which only focus on the nude image.

We find it well researched, and probably under known by the photography book collecting world.

This large book reviews work covering the 20th century published nude including erotic photography books from a predominately European perspective.

The individual books are described and photos of the open books are provided across the 280 pages. There is some real historical value here. It's one well worth checking out.

 

OK..

So..that is the MAO Top 8 Books on Photobooks. If you have any others you'd suggest..please let us know!

 

Gratutitous Self Promotion....

If you're not seen this months issue of Modern Painters Magazine...

This month they did a great job of putting together an issue dedicated to Art Photography. Not exactly what you would expect from a magazine titled "Modern Painters" No?

But it's a really great issue.. and it also has this handsome featured photo collector story, which MAO thinks is well worth your time to checkout...

Download ModernPainters_MagProfile_Story_Nov2010

On your News Stands now!!

Also.. a big thank you goes out to this thoughtful to nice to be an art dealer blogger.. for actually quoting MAO in his BLOG from this Modern Painters Interview.... here..

Interesting Contemporary Art Content on YouTube.. Slim Pickings.. But Getting Better?

Contemporary Art Content on YouTube.. ???  Is there anything worth while??

Given all the amazing potential of YouTube.com, there remains in MAO's not sohumble opinion, VERY Slim Pickings. Most arer a total waste of time.. armature type stuff.

But maybe things are getting getting a little better?

There are sadly only... 3 YouTubers that come to mind.. which we think are well worth checking out.

1. The Madness of Art by Jim Kempner Fine Art.. Tt's totally funny and true..

This one is a must watch for any NYC Contemporary Art junkie enthusiast.

Bravo Jim.. for such a wonderful effort.

We can't say enough good things about this video blog. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMadness0fArt

2. The Two Percent Tube by David Behringer. A regular New Yorkers take on Contemporary Art in NYC... It's not exactly ArtForum.. but then again, who would want to be...? 

The Two Percent is a website that gives contemporary art recommendations in New York City. This week, a very special "10th EPISODE SPECIAL", "SECOND HELPING" talks about a show of abstract expressionist work at Cheim & Read running concurrently with the AbEx show at the Moma, "TRIPLE THREATS" include Tony Oursler @ Lehmann Maupin, Robert Rauschenberg @ Gagosian, and Roxy Paine @ James Cohan Gallery. If you're in New York, give the new podcast audio tour a try! Check out www.thetwopercent.com for more.

http://www.youtube.com/user/thetwopercentTube

3. The Terence Koh Show... OK..well.. You my not like his artwork.. but maybe he just happens to be the most active attempt by a completely self promotionalin-the-know uber successful NYC contemporary artist.. He's not done an update for 4 months, but hopefully we will see more on YouTube from Mr. Koh.

http://www.youtube.com/user/terencekohshow#p/u

Oh.. and how bad can this YouTube Channel be.. if this World Renown Art Blogger..ArtFagCity has told the world..that Terence Koh is the most important Contempory artist working today in NYC..

If you missed this.. you have to check this out to believe it:

http://nymag.com/news/features/establishments/68509/

ahem.. Like can you say totally out of her mind or just taken out of context?

Well.. it's a sad little list of YouTube Contemporary Art Content providers on YouTube..

Has video blogging totally died for the Contemporary Art World? What do you thinK?

BUT, If any MAO readers have a any other important ones we missed.. please send them our way!

 

 

Photograph Magazine.. takes notice of Photography Blogs

Photograph Magazine.. takes notice of Photography Blogs. It's about time!!

If you have not yet picked up your deadwood media copy of the July/August 2008 Photograph Magazine...run out and get it NOW!

FYI...For those who've never seen this small but cool magazine.. It's the holy bible for the totally art photography obsessed collectors.

This month, on page 6 "Eye on the Scene", writer Peggy Roalf gives a nice report on the most influential  photography blogs.

And, Yes... my little MAO-ettes... of course MAO is there... along with some of our long time favorite bloggers... Lisa Hunter, James Danziger, Jen Bekman, Zoe Strauss... and more... Congrats to everyone!

Or. If you're too cheap to buy the 5 dollar magazine... you can read the story here online... Eye On The Scene.July/August 2008.

(Photo, Photograph Magazine July/Aug 08 cover, Top by Ernest C. Withers, First Desegregated Bus Ride, Montgomery, Alabama, 1956

Middle by Bob Adelman, Box in Frank Robinson’s CORE Voter Registration Office, Sumter, South Carolina, 1962 

Bottom image by Dennis Brack, Garbagemen’s Parade, Memphis, Tennessee, 1968, all three photographs from the collection of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA )

A big MAO Thanks go out to Peggy Roalf, and Dan Cooney. You guys ROCK!!

This weeks TimeOut NY... almost as bitchy as MAO

OK..So, it would seem MAO does not have a corner on the bitchy witty comment market.... This week's Time Out NY Magazine (May 29 - June 4) had this box posted on page 21....

The Queer Factor
Gay	Gayer
Logo	Bravo
Melissa Etheridge	Clay Aiken
Brokeback Mountain	Sex and the City
Truman Capote	Herman Melville
Gay Games	Olympics
Black Party	FDA Awards
Provincetown	St. Barth
Fire Island Pines	The Vatican
Madonna	Dina McGreevey
Barneys	Barneys
Christine Quinn	Hillary Clinton
New York Blade	The New York Times
Book Editor	Hedge-fund Manager
Sam Champion	Anderson Cooper
Porsche Boxter	Ford Escape Hybrid
The L Word	Brothers & Sisters
Splash	Soho House
69	Missionary
Cosmopolitan	Prosecco
Oscar Wild Bookshop	Barnes & Noble Union Square
Citarella	Trader Joe's
Gracious Home	Target
Gucci loafers	Converse All Stars
Dorian Gray	Albus Dumbledore
	-by Erin McHugh

Will 2008 mark the End of the Polaroid Picture.... ??

So did everyone see this story..???

Polaroid shutting 2 Mass. facilities, laying off 150

As company exits film business, plants will close in Norwood, Waltham

Email|Print| Text size – + By Hiawatha Bray

Globe Staff / February 8, 2008

Polaroid Corp., the Massachusetts company that gave the world instant film photography, is shutting down its film manufacturing lines in the state and abandoning the technology that made the company famous..................

The Complete Boston Globe text here.. Polaroid Shutting Down.

And here's the WSJ Story..

(Image by Kota Ezawa, Polaroid Supercolor 1000, 2005, Computer vector drawing. Courtesy of Haines Gallery, San Francisco)

MAO has to say.. this is not exactly a surprise.. Digital is here to stay and will completely take over in the next few years.  Film and Polaroid cameras are going the way of the Projection Screen TV, The Members Only Jackets, Disco, KT's hair; Velour shirts, MAO's sex life, Bell Bottoms, and Boom boxes..

Actually this is just one of the many reasons why MAO, plus many other collectors, don't mind paying silly large amounts of money for dusty old B&W photos,  Dye Transfer Color Prints, and now someday Polaroids!! This film technology is going away very quickly.  And hence even though, digital photo's are already looking amazing.. you will always be able to identify photos taken with real film.

So, this story has been ricocheting around the photo obsessed blog world the last few days...here's just some of the blog chatter... What do you think? Is Polaroid Film gone for good???

• R.I.P. Polaroid - The Money Puzzle
• Polaroid: R.I.P. - artPark
• Polaroid film manufacturing shut down - Thomas Kraemer
• Break it like a Polaroid picture - State of the Art (American Photo Mag)
• The Death of Film - Getty Images Creative Blog
• End of an Era - Blog and White World

Jumping the Shark.... Art Blogs in Art in America

Mirror.. Mirror upon the Wall.. who in Art Blogger land is the fairest of them all....???? Then the mirror answered, "O Lady Queen...."

Well.. if you haven't picked up a copy of Art in America "The World's Premier Art Magazine" yet this month.. be sure to turn to page 61 of the November'07 issue! 

And no.. it's not a great critical review of the next art world American talent..... it's a 5 page snarkfest interview with 5 of the webs most influential art bloggers! Regina Hackett(Seattle), Jeff Jahn (Portland), Roberta Fallon/Libby Rosof (Philly), Tyler Green (DC), and of course NY's own...Edward Winkleman.

The story's best line of the long meandering article goes hands down to Edward... when asked to comment on the statement :

".... Unknown Bloggers want to be little bloggers; little bloggers want to be bigger bloggers; and bigger bloggers want to be called, as is Tyler's Modern Art Notes, "the most influential of all the visual-arts blogs" by the WSJ

Edward answered : "Of course bloggers have huge egos. Lock six bloggers in a room, throw in a mirror, and watch them tear each other apart fighting for it...."

Well.. it would seem Edward has been doing a fair amount of self reflecting... hmm...

Well.. And anyway... the last time MAO was in a SoBe hotel room with several bloggers and a mirror.. the fight over the mirror had nothing to do with EGO or even Snow White!

Nevertheless... we at MAO don't care much who's considered a big or a little blogger.. we just know they're all a bunch of silly size queens great informative websites!!

(Photo.. by Nan Goldin...Self portrait in my blue bathroom, Berlin, 1991)

MAO Hearts Janet Borden..

I just love Janet Borden's quote in the Sunday NY Times by Philip Gefter, What's New In Photography..

"Of Course, you know the adage, if you can't make it good, make it big. If you can't make it big, make it red. So we do like big red photographs."

Also..a big MAO congrats to Yossi Milo, Brian Clamp, and Dan Conney for being singled out as "A number of younger photography galleries have commended a new kind of respect..."

Oh.. and speaking of Big Red Photographs.. Have you seen this amazing portfolio by Massimo Vitali ??

Published by Steidl in a limited edition of 120 + 20 AP, the portfolio contains 52 plates (90 x 70 cm) of Vitali’s most significant and captivating pieces from the Landscapes with Figures series. I hear the current going price is $10k..not bad for 52 images..no?

Mary Ellen Mark, Justine Kurland, and Joel-Peter Witkin

Just when you start to think mass media (aka.. deadwood newspapers) are all worthless..you wake up Sunday Morning to the amazing New York Times!

Plus, the New York Times Magazine must have some huge art budget super Art photo savvy editors.

If the Nan Goldin portrait of Kiki Smith 2 weeks ago wasn't impressive enough this month.. Today they out did themselves.  Included in today's magazine were 2 feature stories with new photo work by Mary Ellen Mark, and Justine Kurland, plus a third unexpected, but cool style photo project by Joel-Peter Witkin.

Here's the cover image by Justine Kurland (Photo #1 Still Left Behind).. and inside were several art history inspired style photos by transgressive photo shock jock.. Joel-Peter Witkin.. these 2 were my favorites.. check them out!

(Photos.. by Joel Peter Witkin : #2 After Manet, and #3 After Magritte.)