It’s beautiful here isn’t it…
Capri, 1981, from Paesaggio italiano (Italian landscape)
Opening this Friday night at Aperture Gallery, is the first major U.S. exhibition of photographs by Luigi Ghirri, featuring both vintage and contemporary prints. During his short life, Ghirri revolutionized Italian photography in the 1970s, and is widely considered a pioneer and master of contemporary color photography. His work has influenced a generation of photographers, including William Eggleston, who wrote the preface for the book. An exhibition of Eggleston’s work will open at the Whitney Museum, this Thursday evening, titled: William Eggleston: Democratic Camera.
Atelier Giorgio Morandi, Grizzana, Bologna, 1989–90
Playing with different perspectives, Ghirri’s fresh color observations of Italy’s contemporary culture are witty, poetic, and often surreal. As William Eggleston notes in the preface of the book, “He teases the viewer about what is real and what is not.” Ghirri’s eclectic array of subjects included maps, charts, books, billboards, signs, advertisements, his own possessions and even the studio of painter Giorgio Morandi. An exhibition of Morandi’s work is on view now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Self-portrait, Paris, 1976, from Kodochrome
Luigi Ghirri (born in Scandiano, Italy, 1943–1992) studied and worked in Modena. He exhibited throughout Europe, with solo shows in Geneva, Amsterdam, Arles, and Cologne, as well as at the Light Gallery, New York. His work is in numerous collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris; and Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal. Of the twenty-five monographs published of his work, none have been in English, It’s beautiful here, isn’t it… (Aperture) is Ghirri’s first book to get major distribution in the United States and introduce his seminal work to the large international audience it deserves.
Opening Reception:
Friday, November 7, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Exhibition on View:
Saturday, November 8, 2008–Thursday, January 29, 2009
Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor
(between 10th and 11th Avenue)
New York, NY
(212) 505-5555
Subway: C, E to 23rd Street and 8th Avenue or 1 to 28th Street and 7th Avenue
FREE
Read James Danziger’s blog entry from The Year in Pictures here.
