No other artistic medium has risen so rapidly in international esteem as photography. The story of its success, beginning in the early 1970s, is inseparably linked to the people who fought for its recognition in the world of modern art – above all the artists themselves, as well as curators, collectors, gallery owners, dealers, writers, and enthusiasts. Their expertise and knowledge, their dedication and deep passion for the medium have made photography what it is today: a widely celebrated, permanent fixture of our visual culture. To mark its thirtieth anniversary, the Kicken Gallery has brought together these protagonists in one extraordinary compendium. More than 140 seminal works in the history of photography are commented upon by 114 authors who for the past thirty years have played a decisive role in photography’s development and reception in the art world. Reproduced are works that the gallery has helped to place into private and museum collections across the globe. Starting with essays on outstanding photographers from Eugène Atget and Yva, to André Kertész and Umbo, and on to Edward Weston and Bernd and Hilla Becher, these personal stories from the world of photography join together to create a comprehensive history. Biographical sketches of the photographers and authors as well as informative notes on the collections throw light onto the inner workings of the art world, making this an indispensable Who’s Who of photography’s extended international family.
