2012 sees the release of two books spotlighting Gilles Caron, the legendary French photojournalist. Caron’s seminal work covering international conflicts in the late 1960’s as well as many of the major cultural and political figures of that era is well established in the history of photojournalism. These books provide for the first time an intimate look at the photographer who tragically went missing in a Khmer Rouge controlled area of Cambodia in 1970. Gilles Caron, Scrapbook (Lienart, Paris, February 2012) presents a range of documents from Caron's life concentrating on his career as a photojournalist. The book includes reproductions of personal photos, letters and documents, selected contact sheets, and tear sheets from his most important reportages. Texts in the Scrapbook are in French and translated into English. J'ai voulu voir "I wanted to see" (Calmann-Levy, Paris, January 2012) compiles letters Caron sent to his mother in his youth and during his two years of compulsory military duty in the French army during the Algerian War. The letters provide an intimate look at Caron's development before he began his meteoric career in photojournalism. Both books are produced with the Fondation Gilles Caron and provided a deeper understanding of the life and work of Gilles Caron.
In conjunction with the release of these books Galerie Thierry Marlat in Paris hosts a showing of Caron prints from January 19 - February 25, 2012.
Beaugeste Gallery in Shanghai, presents Winds and Clouds, Li Zhensheng's first gallery exhibition in his native China. The images range from Li's half century of work in China and include several self-portraits that Li has taken throughout his career as well as selected images from his book Red-Color News Soldier (Phaidon, 2003). On display from January 21 to April 21, 2012.
Annie Leibovitz's most recent book, Pilgrimage (Random House, November 2011), is a departure for this preeminent portrait photographer. The creation of the book was an exploration for Leibovitz visiting and photographing locations that have historic, artistic or personal significance. Subjects include Niagara Falls, Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond, Virginia Woolf's home in the English country side, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty and the home of Elvis Presley. The images are landscapes, interiors and still lifes that evoke the meaning or spirit of these places. An introduction by the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin gives context to the importance of many of these locations as well as insight into a historians journey of discovery. Events connected to the release of the book include:
Hamiltons Gallery London, England December 8, 2011 to January 27, 2012
The title of this exhibition, David Burnett: Too Close, may be seen as a challenge to photographer Robert Capa’s famous statement, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." On the contrary, Burnett’s work suggests, perhaps photography has gotten too close. He takes a step back, inviting historical context to enter the frame and offering viewers a more expansive perspective on the world. Spanning his over four decades of work as a photojournalist, the exhibition presents images of historic moments from 1968 to 2009 in which Burnett takes the "wide view." Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah from October 7, 2011 - January 29, 2012.
Public lecture by David Burnett on October 6, 2011 at 6 P.M., more info here
Don McCullin's major retrospective Shaped by War has it's final presentation in the UK at the Imperial War Museum, London from October 7, 2011 to April 15, 2012. This is the largest ever exhibition of McCullin’s work to be shown in the UK. With over two hundred prints that range from McCullin’s earliest work in London, his over four decades of covering conflict around the globe and his most recent works of landscapes. The show also includes personal memorable from McCullin’s career and is accompanied by the book Shaped By War (Jonathan Cape, 2010)
Info on talks with McCullin related to the exhibition can be found here
Simultaneously, the Tate Britain presents a room of works by Don McCullin as part of their collection British Art Displays 1500 - 2011. Moving beyond his conflict photography this exhibition includes work McCullin has produced from the 1960's to the present on poverty in England, rural English landscapes and one of his earliest reportages, the 1961 construction of the Berlin Wall. On display from August 15, 2011 to March 4, 2012.
Nailya Alexander Gallery, in New York City presents, “Lori Grinker: Distant Relations,” an exhibition of 19 intimate color photographs. Taken in Lithuania (2002), South Africa (2005), Ukraine (2008), and the US (2011) the works create an impressionistic map of her family’s migration since its dispersal in the late 1800s from Western Lithuania. The continuing project has also been featured on the Lens Blog of the New York Times. Further details on Grinker's continuation of this project can be found on the fundraising site Kickstarter. The exhibition runs from: September 7 - October 15, 2011
