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APERTURE
Crisis of the Real
Writings on Photography
By Andy Grundberg.
We are pleased to announce Aperture's reissue of Crisis of the Real, Andy Grundberg's classic collection of writings on photography—an essential work for anyone seeking clarity and insight into photography's place in today's world. Known internationally for his articles in The New York Times and other publications, Andy Grundberg has been one of the most respected and widely read voices in photography and the visual arts for nearly 30 years. His interpretations and critical opinions have helped shape the broad understanding of photography's complex roles in art and the media. Over the course of the 50 essays and articles in this authoritative collection, Grundberg questions the nature of photography and how we perceive it, reevaluates some of the great photographers of our time and brings into focus the major debates in photography at the end of the twentieth century. Although some essays were originally written more than 30 years ago, the issues and concerns addressed by Grundberg remain relevant today.
FROM THE BOOK
"Today we face a condition in the arts that for many is both confusing and irritating--a condition that goes by the name postmodernism. But what do we mean when we call a work of art postmodernist? And what does postmodernism mean for photography? How does it relate to, and challenge, the tradition of photographic practice as Beaumont Newhall has so conscientiously described it? Why are the ideas and practices of postmodernist art so unsettling to our traditional ways of thinking? These are questions that need to be examined if we are to understand the nature of today's photography, and its relation to the larger art world. What is postmodernism? Is it a method, like the practice of using images that already exist? Is it an attitude, like irony? Is it an ideology, like Marxism? Or is it a plot hatched by a cabal of New York artists, dealers and critics, designed to overturn the art-world establishment and to shower money and fame on those involved? These are all definitions that have been proposed, and, like the blind men's description of the elephant; they all may contain a small share of truth. But as I hope to make clear, postmodernist art did not arise in a vacuum, and it is more than a mere demonstration of certain theoretical concerns dear to twentieth-century intellectuals. I would argue, in short, that postmodernism, in its art and its theory, is a reflection of the conditions of our times…"
FORMAT: Pbk, 6.5 x 9 in. / 292 pgs / 44 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $19.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $25 ISBN: 9781597111409 PUBLISHER: Aperture AVAILABLE: 4/30/2010 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: No longer our product AVAILABILITY: Not Available
We are pleased to announce Aperture's reissue of Crisis of the Real, Andy Grundberg's classic collection of writings on photography—an essential work for anyone seeking clarity and insight into photography's place in today's world. Known internationally for his articles in The New York Times and other publications, Andy Grundberg has been one of the most respected and widely read voices in photography and the visual arts for nearly 30 years. His interpretations and critical opinions have helped shape the broad understanding of photography's complex roles in art and the media. Over the course of the 50 essays and articles in this authoritative collection, Grundberg questions the nature of photography and how we perceive it, reevaluates some of the great photographers of our time and brings into focus the major debates in photography at the end of the twentieth century. Although some essays were originally written more than 30 years ago, the issues and concerns addressed by Grundberg remain relevant today.
