New York isn't what it used to be, so why haven't New York's photographers and photographic books caught up with reality? Why do picture-makers continue to mimic the gritty glamour and aggression of William Klein's "New York images," or stalk up and down Fifth and Madison Avenues paying peculiar homage to Garry Winogrand, or struggle to rediscover the romance of Nan Goldin's "Lower East Side," on streets now clogged with Starbucks and designers' tenement-scaled emporia? What makes Mitch Epstein's most recent book, "The ...
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New York isn't what it used to be, so why haven't New York's photographers and photographic books caught up with reality? Why do picture-makers continue to mimic the gritty glamour and aggression of William Klein's "New York images," or stalk up and down Fifth and Madison Avenues paying peculiar homage to Garry Winogrand, or struggle to rediscover the romance of Nan Goldin's "Lower East Side," on streets now clogged with Starbucks and designers' tenement-scaled emporia? What makes Mitch Epstein's most recent book, "The City," particularly interesting is witnessing Epstein's attempt to breathe life back into a classic, albeit tired, genre. Instead of the usual raucous juxtapositions of visual cliches--pictures crammed with street corner sturm und drang and urban gargoyles--"The City"'s elliptical narrative unfolds quietly. There's a meditative, almost medicated calmness to the book's color still lifes and cityscapes: the droll display of overwrought deli cakes; a street festival shooting gallery's targets, featuring the faces of Timothy McVeigh, Amy Fisher and Hitler, offering discounted prices for kids; the sports jacket, carefully folded and placed on the grass in Central Park, whose banal but eerie presence suggests anything from a lunchtime nap to murder. To complicate matters, these images are interspersed with black-and-white portraits--of Epstein's wife, daughter, friends and acquaintances--that are equally enigmatic. Some subjects smile; some look into the distance. Still others stare back--with willful intent, or unable or uninterested in hiding their vulnerability--through the camera's lens. As complex and beautiful as Epstein's photographs of New York situations are, as intimate as his portraits might be, "The City" ultimately creates something surprising; the opportunity to ponder what photography can and cannot reveal about our public lives and our most private selves.By Marvin Heiferman
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Add this copy of The City to cart. $29.83, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.
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Fair. All pages and the cover are intact but shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes highlighting or minor water damage but the text is readable.
Add this copy of The City to cart. $30.83, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.
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Add this copy of The City to cart. $33.05, good condition, Sold by BayStateBooks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Smithfield, RI, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.
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The book is in good condition with all pages and cover intact including the dust jacket if originally issued. The spine may show light wear. Pages may contain some notes or highlighting and there might be a From the library of label. Boxed set packaging shrink wrap or included media like CDs may be missing.
Add this copy of The City to cart. $122.88, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Diego, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.
Add this copy of The City to cart. $42.00, like new condition, Sold by Jeff Hirsch Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Wadsworth, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.
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First edition and first printing. Oblong hardcover. A collection of 85 four color images of New York City taken between 1995 through 1999. A fine copy in blue cloth boards and in fine dust jacket.
Add this copy of The City to cart. $62.25, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.
Add this copy of The City to cart. $86.60, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.
Add this copy of The City to cart. $89.80, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by powerHouse Books.