Introduction

Some month ago I came across a photographic book titled Anders Petersen (Thames & Hudson, 2013) on a shelf in Foyles bookshop here in London. The heart-warming but also eerie photograph on the front cover was the reason the book first caught my eye: the over awake man sitting in his chair, eyes wide open, holding his dog, and the dog’s eyes also wide open: the symmetry in expression between the two and also the warmth and companionship. Read more

Not for no Reason, the introduction to Robert Frank’s social masterpiece The Americans (first edition 1958 by Robert Delpire)—is written by Jack Kerouac. Kerouac having written with his heart about the lives of americans; having given a restless voice to their dreams and aspirations—embodies in many ways the photographic style of Robert Frank: the broad strokes, the richness in content, the focus on stories from all walks of life. Read more

“All I wanted to express was reality, for nothing is more surreal” (George Brassaï) Brassaï, pseudonym of Gyula Halász, was born on the 9th of September 1899 in Brasov, Romania. His father worked as a professor of French literature. When Brassaï was at the age of three his family lived in Paris for a year while his father taught at the Sorbonne. Read more