Product Description

Lisette Model is an unsurpassed introduction to one of the twentieth century's most significant photographers--a woman whose searing images and eloquent teachings deeply influenced her students Diane Arbus, Larry Fink and many others. To mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of Model's death in 1983, Aperture is reissuing this classic, highly collectible 1979 monograph--the first book ever published on Model--in the original oversized trim and with the original distinctive design by Marvin Israel, along with an updated chronology and bibliography. This timeless volume contains more than 50 of Model's greatest images, from the rich idlers on the Promenade des Anglais in the South of France to the sad, funny and often eccentric inhabitants of New York's most subterranean haunts. As Berenice Abbott said in her preface, "One of the first reactions when looking at Model's pictures is that they make you feel good. You recognize them as real because real people express a bit of the universal humanity in all of us."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #734972 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-01
• Released on: 2007-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 112 pages

Customer Reviews

Finally! Model BIG!
If you are a fan of Lisette Model, then you know how hard it has been to locate reproductions of her images. Worse still, the most complete, easily available reproduction I've seen (and own) has been the wonderful little Phaidon 55 series book. For those who don't know the Phaidon 55 series, it's great, with great printing, but the books are little. When I saw this book at the SFMOMA bookstore, I couldn't believe it. It's huge. I would have bought it right then, but...it's huge! I bought it the moment I got home from Amazon.

This book is really a treat. It's truly wonderful to see the grain, the rich blacks, the gutsy mid-tones, and the soft focus of Model's images. These are film images and the characteristics of the film, the equipment, and the technology of the times are in_your_face, and it's great. There is quite a bit of duplication of images between this book and the Phaidon book, but again, if you're a fan of Model, then you probably know that she doesn't have a huge body of work, and finally seeing these photos this big is the biggest treat of all.

If you are unfamiliar with Model's work, then these street photography images may seem tame to you, especially when compared to her most famous student, Diane Arbus. But, you can find the origins of the brutal honesty of Arbus' work in Model, and it's evident here, in this book. Model's images are honest, but respectful. There's a kindness, a sense of empathy, in Model's images that is refreshing, rare, and sadly missing from most of the street photography that followed her.

If you ARE a street photographer, then this book is pure inspiration, and spending time with Model can only do the soul good. If you are just a lover of photography, then this book must be in your collection. It's a classic by an important photographer. Get it and enjoy it for what it is, great photography.

A must have for the serious street photographer
If you like Diana Arbus and Gary Winogrand, you must get this to see where there roots are. Model was Arbus's teacher and you can see where she found the starting point for her street work.