VERGER (Pierre). - Lot 295

VERGER (Pierre). The Go-Between - Le Messager. Photographs 1932–1962. Texts by Jean-Loup Pivin and Pascal Martin Saint Léon. Paris, Éditions Revue Noire / D.A.P. (New York), 1997. Large quarto, paperback, illustrated cover. A major monograph dedicated to Pierre Verger (1902–1996), one of the leading figures in 20th-century humanistic and ethnographic photography. Published one year after his death, this volume coincides with the international rediscovery of his work and chronicles thirty years of travel across Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, and the Pacific. Born into a middle-class Parisian family, Verger gave up all his professional activities in 1932 to travel the world with his camera. His gaze, marked by exceptional empathy, focused on traditional societies, African peoples, religious ceremonies, ports, markets, and everyday life. Settling in Salvador de Bahia in 1946, he also became one of the leading experts on relations between West Africa and Brazil, as well as on the Yoruba and Candomblé religions, to which he devoted a major scholarly work. Featuring over two hundred full-page reproductions, this volume presents the most iconic images from the period 1932–1962, accompanied by biographical and historical essays that highlight Verger’s dual roles as photographer and ethnologist. It remains one of the best introductions to his work today. Condition: Very good copy.