Annie Leibovitz - by Graydon Carter & Hans Ulrich Obrist & Paul Roth & Steve Martin (Hardcover)

About the Book

The coveted Annie Leibovitz SUMO is now available in an unlimited XXL edition. Drawing on more than 40 years of work, including photojournalism made for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s and conceptual portraits for Vanity Fair and Vogue, Leibovitz selected iconic images and also photographs that have rarely, if ever, been seen before.

Book Synopsis

When Benedikt Taschen asked the most important portrait photographer working today, Annie Leibovitz, to collect her pictures in a SUMO-sized book, she was intrigued by the challenge. The project took several years to develop and when it was finally published in 2014, it weighed in at 26 kg (57 pounds).

This incredible collection is now available in an accessible XXL book format.

Leibovitz drew on more than 40 years of work, starting with the photojournalism she did for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s through the conceptual portraits she made for Vanity Fair and Vogue. She selected iconic images--such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono entwined in a last embrace--as well as portraits that had rarely, if ever, been seen before.

The Annie Leibovitz SUMO covered political and cultural history, from Queen Elizabeth II and Richard Nixon to Laurie Anderson and Lady Gaga.

"What I had thought of initially as a simple process of imagining what looked good big, what photographs would work in a large format, became something else," Leibovitz says. "The book is very personal, but the narrative is told through popular culture. It's not arranged chronologically and it's not a retrospective. It's more like a roller coaster."

Fans of Leibovitz and her many celebrated subjects can now enjoy that same roller coaster ride for themselves with this unlimited edition.

Review Quotes

"There are many art books containing essential photography of Annie Leibovitz. All of them are beaten by the so-called SUMO volume, published by TASCHEN in 2014 and now released once again in an XXL-Edition."-- "Rolling Stone"

"A photo album of American culture."-- "The Independent"

"The book serves as a reminder not only of Leibovitz's undisputed talent, but also of the service she has done for us in documenting so flawlessly the most important moments and people of the past three generations."-- "Artnet"

"The books are me. It's the opportunity to take the work that I've done with the magazines and distill it and give it its real meaning."-- "Annie Leibovitz"

"You can have talent, but it can go away and you need to feed it. You need to take care of it and you need to find ways to inspire yourself."-- "Annie Leibovitz"

"It's the closest thing to seeing the world through Annie's extraordinary eyes."-- "Image"