Edward Steichen (1879 - 1973) remains one of the most influential and indeed controversial photographers of the 20th century, admired for his achievements as a fine-art photographer while also producing a remarkable range of commercial work. The influence of his 1955 exhibition The Family of Man was felt around the world. This volume traces Steichen's career from his pictorialist beginnings through his time with Cond? Nast magazines to his directorship of photography at the Museum of Modern Art. Among the 250 images here, even his black and white photographs are reproduced in color to reveal their subtleties and full tonal range. A large and thorough monograph, the book also contains essays from a range of scholars and a full bibliography and chronology. "With his prodigious range, versatility and output, Edward Steichen casts a long shadow in 20th-century photography, and this lushly produced book assesses his legacy. Wending through Steichen's 70-year career, the book presents his early, impressionistic black-and-white nudes and portraits of luminaries such as Rodin as well as atmospheric still lives and editorial fashion shots for Vogue and Vanity Fair. Steichen experimented and excelled in every genre of photography and even his most commercial work shows more aesthetic consideration than product placement. The images are accompanied by insightful essays from a number of expert critics and curators, all of whom place Steichen in his proper context as one of the most influential and controversial artists of his time, alternately reviled as a parvenu and lauded as the Leonardo of photography. This book nimbly navigates divergent critical responses and brilliantly encapsulates the innovations and transformations of this pioneer of modern photography." Publishers Weekly Hardcover: 12.3 x 10.3 x 1.7 inches 335 Pages x 250 images ISBN: 9780393066265
