Mitch Epstein: Silver + Chrome

Description

Between 1973 and '76, Mitch Epstein photographed in American cities-New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans, among others. In 1973 he was initially shooting in black-and-white as a student of Garry Winogrand when he asked his teacher, "Why not color?" With Winogrand's blessing, Epstein shot his first rolls of Kodachrome. Silver + Chrome is a chronicle of his three years alternating between color and black-and-white, before eventually committing to color. This book contains Epstein's earliest work, virtually none of which has been seen before. In these kinetic tableaux, the artist's exuberance is tamed, just barely, by his formal intelligence. He depicts American city life as it undergoes taboo-shattering sexual liberation, economic crises and the repercussions of a boondoggle war in Vietnam, immersing us in the urban chaos of this complicated time.

A pioneer of 1970s art photography, Mitch Epstein has photographed the landscape and psyche of America for half a century. His awards include the Prix Pictet, the Berlin Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and he was recently inducted into the National Academy of Design. Numerous collections hold his work, including the Museum of Modern Art and Tate Modern; in 2013, the Walker Art Center commissioned a theatrical rendition of his "American Power" series. Epstein has described the cultural and physical evolution of the United States from 1973 to 2019 in his Steidl books Family Business (2003), Recreation (2005), American Power (2011), New York Arbor (2013), Rocks and Clouds (2017), Sunshine Hotel (2019), Property Rights (2021) and In India (2021).

Epstein's eye homes in on marvelous theatricality: a giddy ensemble you couldn't orchestrate, but an anti-choreography you can marvel at, if you're quick enough to catch it.--Sarah Moroz "Bookforum" Although primarily concerned with form, Epstein subtly evokes narratives beyond each carefully constructed picture frame...Silver + Chrome amplifies the hubbub and dynamism of the city.--Lydia Figes "AnOther"