ROH (Franz) & TSCHICHOLD (Jan), eds. - Lot 256

ROH (Franz) & TSCHICHOLD (Jan), eds. Foto-Auge / OEil et Photo / Photo-Eye. 76 Photographs of Our Time. Paris, Éditions du Chêne, [circa 1978, reprint of the 1929 edition]. Large quarto, illustrated hardcover by the publisher. A faithful reprint of one of the seminal works in the history of modern photography. First published in 1929 under the title *Foto-Auge*, this legendary book, conceived by art historian Franz Roh and the great typographer Jan Tschichold, remains one of the earliest manifestos of the photographic “New Vision.” It brings together seventy-six images selected from among the most innovative works of the interwar period and illustrates the profound aesthetic revolution brought about by the medium of photography. The book brings together the great pioneers of modern photography, including Albert Renger-Patzsch, László Moholy-Nagy, Man Ray, Edward Weston, André Kertész, Hans Finsler, Aenne Biermann, Florence Henri, Umbo, El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Edward Steichen, Germaine Krull, and Imogen Cunningham. The reproductions are accompanied by a revolutionary layout by Jan Tschichold, which creates a dialogue between text and images according to the principles of the Bauhaus and modern typography. More than just a photo album, *Foto-Auge* is a true aesthetic manifesto. In contrast to pictorialist photography, it celebrates high-angle and low-angle shots, bold framing, close-ups, the play of shadows, industrial scenes, and the abstract experiments that characterized photography of the 1920s. Its influence on photographers, graphic designers, and photography historians was considerable, to the point that it is now considered one of the essential books in any library dedicated to photography. This French edition, published in three languages (German, French, and English), faithfully reproduces the original layout and is the most readily available reference version of this work, which has become a classic. Condition: Very good copy.