The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection - by Shoair Mavlian & Simon Baker & Newell Harbin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Sir Elton John, musician and philanthropist, has built one of the greatest private collections of photography in the world. This book presents an unparalleled selection of modernist images, which introduce a crucial moment in the history of photography when artists were beginning to use the camera and darkroom to redefine and transform visions of the modern world. Technological advancements gave artists the freedom to experiment and test the limits of the medium enabling new imaginings of portraits, nudes and still lifes; and street life and the modern world was captured from a new, uniquely modern perspective.
Showcasing only original vintage prints by the artists themselves, the book features key figures from the 1920s to 1950s, such as Brassaï, André Kertész, Dorothea Lange, Tina Modotti, Man Ray, Edward Steichen and Alexander Rodchenko. Also includes a newly commissioned interview with Sir Elton John and essays on modernist photography and technology and innovation by Dawn Ades and Shoair Mavlian.

From the Back Cover

As life underwent rapid changes in the twentieth century, photography offered a new means to communicate and represent the world. The Radical Eye introduces this crucial moment in the history of photography - an exciting period often referred to as the 'coming of age' of the medium, when artists used the camera and darkroom to redefine and transform visions of the modern world, and technological advancements gave them the freedom to experiment and test the medium to its very limits. Timeless genres of the portrait, nude and still life were reimagined, and street life and the modern metropolis were captured from a fresh, uniquely modern perspective.
Drawn from The Sir Elton John Collection, one of the greatest private collections of photography in the world, The Radical Eye presents an unrivalled selection of more than 175 classic modernist images from the 1920s to the 1950s. Showcasing rarely seen vintage prints, the book highlights the work of seventy key figures, including Brassaï, André Kertész, Dorothea Lange, Man Ray, Tina Modotti and Edward Steichen. These remarkable images are accompanied by an interview with Sir Elton John, essays on modernist photography and technology and innovation by Dawn Ades and Shoair Mavlian, and biographies of the photographers.