EU shipping is temporarily suspended
Weegee
Society of the Spectacle
Clément Chéroux, Cynthia Young, Isabelle Bonnet, David Campany
£45.00
Offering a new perspective on Weegee’s oeuvre, Society of the Spectacle presents the photographer’s iconic images alongside lesser-known works
See InsideOverview
Weegee’s macabre tabloid photographs of murdered gangsters, bodies trapped in crashed cars, slums consumed by fire, and other poignant records of New York’s nocturnal low life in the 1930s and 40s are the stuff of legend. Lesser-known, however, is the work he created in his later years, when he satirized Hollywood, mocking its fleeting glory, jubilant crowds, and social scenes, and created celebrity portraits that he delighted in distorting using a palette of technical tricks. And herein lies the paradox of Weegee: how can two such wildly different bodies of work co-exist?
Offering the first evaluation of the famed photographer’s career in its entirety, this book reconciles the two sides of Weegee by showing how the ‘spectacle’ was the unifying theme of his work. Over 130 images, some iconic, some more rarely seen, are accompanied by essays that explore the consistent themes throughout Weegee’s career, his documentary and photojournalism work, and his last great series taken on the set of Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film Dr. Strangelove.
Reviews
'What makes Weegee: Society of the Spectacle particularly compelling is its ability to reframe the photographer’s legacy. Often reduced to his crime-scene photography, Weegee’s work was much more complex and forward-thinking than critics have often given him credit for. By uniting the gritty with the glamorous, this book presents a photographer fascinated by humanity’s love for spectacle – whether in tragedy or celebration'
Amateur Photographer
Product Information
Book Details
Format: PLC (no jacket)
Size: 26.5 x 20.6 cm
Extent: 208 pp
Illustrations: 130
Publication date: 9 January 2025
ISBN: 9780500029121
About the Author
Clément Chéroux is a French photography historian and curator. He was recently named director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris; he was previously chief curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
