Stephen Shore: Selected Works, 1973-1981

by Stephen Shore (Photographer), Wes Anderson (Contributor), Quentin Bajac (Contributor)

Stephen Shore's Uncommon Places is indisputably a canonic body of work--a touchstone for those interested in photography and the American landscape. Remarkably, despite having been the focus of numerous shows and books, including the eponymous 1982 Aperture classic (expanded and reissued several times), this series of photographs has yet to be explored in its entirety.

Over the past five years, Shore has scanned hundreds of negatives shot between 1973 and 1981. In this volume, Aperture has invited an international group of fifteen photographers, curators, authors, and cultural figures to select ten images apiece from this rarely seen cache of images. Each portfolio offers an idiosyncratic and revealing commentary on why this body of work continues to astound; how it has impacted the work of new generations of photography and the medium at large; and proposes new insight on Shore's unique vision of America as transmuted in this totemic series.

Texts and image selections by Wes Anderson, Quentin Bajac, David Campany, Paul Graham, Guido Guidi, Takashi Homma, An-My Lê, Michael Lesy, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Francine Prose, Ed Ruscha, Britt Salvesen, Taryn Simon, Thomas Struth, and Lynne Tillman

Genres: Photography, Americana

328 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2017

About the author

Stephen Shore's work has been widely published and exhibited for the past forty-five years. He was the first living photographer to have a one-man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since Alfred Stieglitz, forty years earlier. He has also had one-man shows at George Eastman House, Rochester; Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Jeu de Paume, Paris; and Art Institute of Chicago. In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art opened a major retrospective spanning Stephen Shore's entire career. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. His series of exhibitions at Light Gallery in New York in the early 1970s sparked new interest in color photography and in the use of the view camera for documentary work.

More than 25 books have been published of Stephen Shore's photographs including Uncommon Places: The Complete Works; American Surfaces; Stephen Shore, a retrospective monograph in Phaidon's Contemporary Artists series; Stephen Shore: Survey and most recently, Transparencies: Small Camera Works 1971-1979 and Stephen Shore: Elements. In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art published Stephen Shore in conjunction with their retrospective of his photographic career. Stephen also wrote The Nature of Photographs, published by Phaidon Press, which addresses how a photograph functions visually. His work is represented by 303 Gallery, New York; and Sprüth Magers, London and Berlin. Since 1982 he has been the director of the Photography Program at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, where he is the Susan Weber Professor in the Arts.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great idea for a retrospective book, and just makes it that much more clear how remarkable an accomplishment Uncommon Places really is, amazing. That said, the writing is a bit inconsistent for me. Some of the writers - David Campany and Quentin Bajac for instance - bring things and insights to their texts; other writers - like Wes Anderson - didn't seem to put too much time or thought into it. The production quality of the book is superb.

[Orest Mercator · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really elegant 70s americana roadtrip photography. While Eggleston is the obvious comparison, Shore distinguishes himself with a more modest style and favors a cooler and almost pastel palette (though still with punchy contrast). He limns the bygone spectrums and specters of familiar scenes with grace, framing and exposing flawlessly as he stops down for a more environmental portraiture in which his subjects can breathe and share visual engagement. To the untrained eye, these are humble, correct documentary shots. To the passionate, they are restrained works by a shrewd technician with strong constancy in an abiding aesthetic project.

[Jason Machinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Photo books are mixed, some you read and others, the really good ones, you are in the presence of, you experience. This book is a really good one. The book is big, but the images are well framed floating in a sea of white. Each one is engrossing and the curator’s comments nicely frame the selection of images. If you are a fan of Shore you will already want or own this book. If you are curious about his work this book offers a good intro and some unique perspectives on his work.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really amazing photos. Text is a mixed bag, and, in a few cases, annoying. Quality of the printing is quite nice. I can’t help but wonder if a landscape format book would have better suited the material though. All in all, highly recommend despite these quibbles.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures are wonderful. The essays, by 15 prominent contributors, vary in their interest. But overall a wonderful book, in a large format that does justice to the art.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried. I gasped. I longed. I got inspired.

This body of work is beyond wonderful. I am awe struck.

[Lloyd Fassett]

3/30/18 found it at The Met store in NYC while browsing