BRANDT (Bill) — Behind the Camera. Photographs 1928–1983 - Lot 44

BRANDT (Bill) — Behind the Camera. Photographs 1928–1983 New York, Aperture / Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1985. Large in-4, publisher’s hardcover with illustrated photographic dust jacket, 99 pp., numerous black-and-white photographic reproductions. ISBN 0-89381-170-X. First edition of this major retrospective dedicated to Bill Brandt, published on the occasion of the exhibition held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1985. Introductions by Mark Haworth-Booth and an essay by David Mellor. The book is also issue No. 99 of the journal Aperture. The retrospective spans Brandt’s entire career, from his early European photographs to the major series that established his reputation: street scenes, *A Night in London*, interwar England, wartime London, portraits, landscapes inspired by British literature, and famous nude studies. The catalog features 61 duotone reproductions and accompanies an exhibition of approximately 140 photographs. This is a highly insightful publication for understanding the evolution of Bill Brandt (1904–1983), one of the leading figures in 20th-century British photography, whose work blends documentary photography, a surrealist atmosphere, and formal experimentation. The Philadelphia Museum of Art notably highlights his time in Man Ray’s studio in Paris in 1929 and the influence of the Surrealist movement on his work. A beautiful copy in very fresh condition. The hardcover and dust jacket are intact; based on your photographs, the dust jacket shows only slight signs of wear. The copy is currently protected by a removable plastic cover. An old price tag is present on the back cover of the dust jacket.