Pierre Fatumbi Verger: United States of America 1934 & 1937
Edited with introduction by Javier Escudero Rodríguez. Text by Alex Baradel, Deborah Willis, Nancy de Souza.
Unseen images of the Great Depression from the famed chronicler of the African diaspora
Pierre Verger is considered one of the most outstanding photographers of the 20th century and a recognized researcher in the field of African Diaspora and religion studies. Verger traveled to the US in 1934 and 1937, during the Great Depression, producing a collection of stunning images that document America’s national symbols and the challenging social and economic atmosphere of the time. Verger was able to capture with nuanced sensibility the cultural and racial diversity of a country where many citizens still confront segregation and poverty; his photographs constitute an extraordinary contribution to our understanding of 1930s America and to the growth of photojournalism, documentary and art photography. In his introduction to this volume, Javier Escudero Rodríguez frames Verger´s significant contribution to modern photography, as well as the lasting relevance of this new collection of images of the Great Depression. The 150 photographs included here—the majority of which have never been published before—were selected from 1,110 negatives, after meticulous research at the Pierre Verger Foundation in Salvador, Brazil. French photographer, ethnologist, anthropologist and researcher Pierre Verger (1902–96) was born in Paris but lived most of his life in the city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, in Brazil. Verger photographed some of the most renowned figures of his time, such as Chang Kai Chek, Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky and Ernest Hemingway, but the bulk of his oeuvre was based on everyday life and popular culture across five continents. Verger also wrote several reference texts on Afro-Bahian culture and the Diaspora.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Guardian
Tim Adams
Offers a nuanced portrait of black America before the war...thoughtful, often hopeful images of arresting individuals in black communities, full of aspirational intent and not shy of beauty.
Bookforum
Barry Schwabsky
Mostly unpublished during Verger’s lifetime, these images fill some gaps in the visual record left by American photographers (Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, et al.) in a period when that art flourished in this country. And it begins to introduce us to a fascinating and unexpected figure of consequence for what would later be called the Black Atlantic.
New Yorker
Vince Aletti
A reminder of Verger's importance and a confirmation of his very particular point of view.
Blind
Sara Rosen
Whether making portraits in Harlem or Congo, Verger celebrated and uplifted the humanity of all he encountered along the way, creating a repository of soul that both preserves and transcends the times in which these pictures were made.
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FORMAT: Hbk, 9.5 x 12 in. / 160 pgs / 147 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $59.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $82.95 ISBN: 9788862087742 PUBLISHER: Damiani AVAILABLE: 11/8/2022 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Pierre Fatumbi Verger: United States of America 1934 & 1937
Published by Damiani. Edited with introduction by Javier Escudero Rodríguez. Text by Alex Baradel, Deborah Willis, Nancy de Souza.
Unseen images of the Great Depression from the famed chronicler of the African diaspora
Pierre Verger is considered one of the most outstanding photographers of the 20th century and a recognized researcher in the field of African Diaspora and religion studies. Verger traveled to the US in 1934 and 1937, during the Great Depression, producing a collection of stunning images that document America’s national symbols and the challenging social and economic atmosphere of the time.
Verger was able to capture with nuanced sensibility the cultural and racial diversity of a country where many citizens still confront segregation and poverty; his photographs constitute an extraordinary contribution to our understanding of 1930s America and to the growth of photojournalism, documentary and art photography.
In his introduction to this volume, Javier Escudero Rodríguez frames Verger´s significant contribution to modern photography, as well as the lasting relevance of this new collection of images of the Great Depression. The 150 photographs included here—the majority of which have never been published before—were selected from 1,110 negatives, after meticulous research at the Pierre Verger Foundation in Salvador, Brazil.
French photographer, ethnologist, anthropologist and researcher Pierre Verger (1902–96) was born in Paris but lived most of his life in the city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, in Brazil. Verger photographed some of the most renowned figures of his time, such as Chang Kai Chek, Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky and Ernest Hemingway, but the bulk of his oeuvre was based on everyday life and popular culture across five continents. Verger also wrote several reference texts on Afro-Bahian culture and the Diaspora.
