MARK (Mary Ellen). - Lot 206

MARK (Mary Ellen). Portraits. Text by Furio Colombo. Paris, Nathan, “Carré Photo” series, [1997]. Large quarto, publisher’s hardcover with illustrated dust jacket. French edition of one of the major works by Mary Ellen Mark (1940–2015), a key figure in American documentary photography of the second half of the 20th century. The book brings together a selection of portraits taken throughout her career, alternating between ordinary people and figures from the worlds of art, film, music, and literature. True to her deeply humanistic approach, Mary Ellen Mark sought less to celebrate celebrity than to reveal the uniqueness of each individual. She deliberately juxtaposed portraits of famous figures with those of unknown people, highlighting the same psychological intensity and dignity in their gazes. The photographs, reproduced full-page with remarkable print quality, illustrate the art of portraiture by this iconic photographer, known in particular for her photoessays on the excluded, the marginalized, children, and forgotten communities. Furio Colombo’s text accompanies this exploration of the portrait as an encounter between the photographer and her subject. The French edition remains significantly less common than the American edition. Condition: hardcover and dust jacket in generally good condition. A small, repairable tear at the top of the dust jacket’s front cover; slight signs of wear from handling. Interior is in very fresh condition, with no foxing or annotations.