Known the world over for his iconic images of Che Guevara and Brasília,
René Burri is one of the world’s greatest living photographers. Now,
for the first time ever and featuring many never before published
images, Burri’s remarkable and adventurous work is brought together in
this career retrospective of over 400 duotone photographs. Edited and
compiled by distinguished writer Hans-Michael Koetzle in close
collaboration with Burri, this unprecedented retrospective is a history
book of the major political events and key personalities of the 20th
century seen through the eyes of one photographer. Nothing like this
book on Burri has ever been published before, and it is a real coup for
Phaidon to be the first to publish his entire career’s work.
A
member of the prestigious Magnum photo agency, Burri is a photographer
whose curiosity and humanity as a photographer have afforded him almost
unrestricted access to the major events and personalities of the last
fifty years. In this way, René Burri Photographs is a fascinating
personal account of the major artists, politicians and personalities
that Burri has made a part of his life. First achieving international
recognition with the seminal photography book on post-WWII Germany Die
Deutschen (The Germans) in 1962, René Burri has since become one of the
most important figures in the history of photography, admired and
respected by his peers for his sympathetic eye and his ability to
capture larger-than-life personalities on film.
René Burri
Photographs is the culmination of several years of scholarly research
by distinguished writer Hans Michael Koetzle into Burri’s important
contribution to reportage photography. In 21 thematically organized
chapters, we accompany Burri across Europe to the Middle East, Vietnam,
Brazil, Cuba and beyond: we visit Picasso, Le Corbusier, Yves Klein and
Giacometti in their studios; we witness political figures such as Che
Guevara in repose, and Fidel Castro at the helm. The book begins with
an introduction that describes the history, politics and artistic
influences that have coloured Burri’s work. Each of the 21 chapters is
accompanied by colour-coded bands for easy reference (for example,
Chapter 2 on Picasso is accompanied by blue bands; Chapter 14 on
Germany, green bands). Each of the chapters begins with a 2-page essay
which gives an overview of the images in that particular section, the
time period and political climate, and the circumstances that drew
Burri to ph! otograph the subject. In addition, each image in the book
is accompanied by a caption detailing the place, year and event. The
book is designed by prominent Swiss graphic designer Werner Jeker of
ADN Design, Lausanne.
About the Author Rene Burri was born in
Zurich in 1933 and spent his early years studying composition, colour
and design at the School for Arts and Crafts in Zurich. It was during
his military service that Burri first used a Leica camera. Shortly
thereafter he also developed an interest in film, and from 1953-55 he
worked as a documentary filmmaker. Burri's life changed forever when
well-known photographer Werner Bischof introduced him to the
prestigious photography agency Magnum Photos. Shortly after joining
Magnum, his first reportage appeared in Life magazine. He still
photographs today. Photographer's Residence: Paris, France and New
York. Rene Burri Photographs is the culmination of several years of
scholarly research by Hans-Michael Koetzle, editor-in-chief of Leica
World magazine and a regular contributor to numerous photography books
and magazines. Koetzle presents his extensive research in an
introduction, in detailed forewords to each of the 22 chapters and in
extended captions on each page.
