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Product Description
Product Description
Finally available in the trade edition: TASCHEN's massive, two-volume collection of Peter Beard's photos, diaries, and collages.Photographer, collector, diarist, and writer of books Peter Beard has fashioned his life into a work of art; the illustrated diaries he kept from a young age evolved into a serious career as an artist and earned him a central position in the international art world. He was painted by Francis Bacon, painted on by Salvador Dali, and made diaries with Andy Warhol; he toured with Truman Capote and the Rolling Stones, created books with Jacqueline Onassis and Mick Jagger - all of whom are brought to life, literally and figuratively, in his work. As a fashion photographer, he took "Vogue" stars like Veruschka to Africa and brought new ones - most notably Iman - back to the U.S. with him.His love affair with natural history and wildlife, which informs most of his work, began when he was a teenager. He had read the books of Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) and after spending time in Kenya and befriending the author, bought a piece of land near hers. It was the early 1960s and the big game hunters led safaris, with all the colonial elements Beard had read about in "Out of Africa" characterizing the open life and landscape, but the times were changing. Beard witnessed the dawn of Kenya's population explosion, which challenged finite resources and stressed animal populations - including the starving elephants of Tsavo, dying by the tens of thousands in a wasteland of eaten trees. So he documented what he saw - with diaries, photographs, and collages. He went against the wind in publishing unique and sometimes shocking books of these works. The corpses were laid bare; the facts were carefully written down sometimes in type, often by hand, occasionally with blood.Peter Beard's most important collages are included, along with hundreds of smaller-scale works and diaries, magnified to show every detail - from Beard's meticulous handwriting and old-master-inspired drawings to stones and bones and bits of animals pasted to the page.The special features include: two volumes in a cloth slipcase; a main book with 200 pages of diaries and 294 pages of collages + 5 fold-outs; an original essay by photo critic Owen Edwards; and a companion volume: PB2 image index with captions for all images from main book, personal photos and early work of the artist, interview with the artist by Steven M. L. Aronson, a facsimile reprint of Beard's 1993 handwritten essay from the sold-out first issue of "Blind Spot' magazine, extensive bibliography, and a list of exhibition.Finally available in the trade edition: this large-format special edition is based on the original limited Collector's Edition, which sold out instantly upon publication.
About the Author
Born in New York City in 1938, Peter Beard began taking photographs and keeping diaries from early childhood. By the time he graduated from Yale University, he had developed a keen interest in Africa. Throughout the 1960s and '70s he worked in Tsavo Park, the Aberdares, and Lake Rudolf in Kenya's northern frontier. His first show came in 1975 at the Blum Helman Gallery, and was followed in 1977 by the landmark installation of elephant carcasses, burned diaries, taxidermy, African artifacts, books and personal memorabilia at New York's International Center for Photography. In addition to creating original artwork, Beard has also worked as a Vogue photographer and collaborated on projects with Andy Warhol, Andrew Wyeth, Richard Linder, Terry Southern, Truman Capote, and Francis Bacon. In 1996, shortly after Beard was trampled by an elephant, his first major retrospective took place at the Centre National de la Photographie in Paris, France, followed by shows in Berlin, London, Milan, Stockholm, Tokyo, and Vienna, among others. He lives in New York City, Long Island, and Kenya with his wife, Nejma, and daughter, Zara. Ruth Ansel is an award-winning art director known for her innovative design at many of America's top fashion and cultural magazines since the 1960s. Ansel Design Studio (est. 1992) has produced international fashion campaigns and books with photographers including Peter Beard, Richard Avedon, and Annie Leibovitz. Nejma Beard has been Peter Beard's agent and the director of the Peter Beard Studio since 2001. Since then she has curated and co-curated shows in Paris, London, Milan, and Los Angeles, and assisted on the publication of Zara's Tales. David Fahey is co-owner of the Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles. During his 31-year career in the field, he has collaborated on over 45 fine art photography books. He is the co-vice president of the Herb Ritts Foundation and serves on the Photography Advisory Council for the J. Paul Getty Museum. Steven M. L. Aronson, a former book publisher, is a writer and editor. He edited and published Peter Beard's book Longing for Darkness and wrote the T.V. special The End of the Game. He is the author of HYPE and the co-author of Savage Grace. Owen Edwards has written about photography for 30 years, for the American Photographer, New York Times Magazine, New York magazine, The Village Voice, Saturday Review, Vogue, Smithsonian magazine, and many other publications.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
A beautiful and extensive work of Peter Beard in an equisite book that any library would not be complete without.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
First-Rate Production Quality
8 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
About a decade ago I saw a book which showed a photo of a guy on the cover who was half-way consumed by an alligator. His legs were entirely inside the gator, and yet the uneaten upper-half of the man was thoughtfully writing in a journal of some sort. It was a very bizarre image. It was a self-portrait of Peter Beard, an American who has lived in Africa for most of his adult life. He has documented the decline of African wildlife and habitat with his Leica for the past several decades, and he has enhanced his time there by partying with a compelling variety of super models who come to visit him at his compound and by creating these fabulous ornamental montage-journals. I see him as a neat amalgam of the attributes of Hunter S. Thompson, Ernest Hemingway, and David Douglas Duncan (the photo journalist), and perhaps a little Warhol thrown in as well. He is truly a novel and interesting character. Not long after I read the book I just mentioned I was saddened to hear that Mr. Beard was stomped on by a mad elephant. He was seriously injured, but his statement about the incident only expressed concern for the elephant. Apparently, and amazingly, Mr. Beard is still alive and going strong.
Well, about a year ago, my favorite book publisher, Taschen, put out a super high-end set about Beard. It was extremely expensive, and I was bummed that I could not justify purchasing it. However, Taschen took mercy on us and produced this edition at a bargain price. I was expecting something solid and nice, but let me assure you this is way beyond that. This set is easily of collectable quality and design. Cloth covered hard-backs with cloth covered slip-case, gilt imprints, fold-out pages, premium-grade paper and printing....just incredible. I really don't know how they did a production of this quality at this price point, and I don't know how the super premium edition could have been any better. This is down-right ominous.
If you are interested in photography, wild life, Africa, travel, environmental causes, Peter Beard, journalism, photo journalism, or premium quality books, any of those, you will definitely want this for your collection. I have bought several high-end books in the last year (the Taschen Vanessa del Rio volume, the deluxe Hunter S. Thompson retrospective, the Sin City deluxe sets, etc.) and none of them match this for certified beauty of production. The imagery is narcotically relaxing and Beard is a fascinating and roguish subject. He's kind of a blue-blood, but he is tough as nails, and he still knows how to have fun and live it up. I like rebels who don't get caught up in self-righteous austerity and who pursue their work with a cocktail in one hand, a Leica in the other, and a beautfiful woman back at camp tending the fire, or scenarios basically resembling that. Work hard, play hard....that's the key, not merely moderation. Beard has saying I've always remembered, although I might not quote it perfectly: "A beautiful woman is the last uncorrupted manifestation of nature that we have left on Earth."
This book captures his spirit and legacy wonderfully. Thanks again, Taschen.
Well, about a year ago, my favorite book publisher, Taschen, put out a super high-end set about Beard. It was extremely expensive, and I was bummed that I could not justify purchasing it. However, Taschen took mercy on us and produced this edition at a bargain price. I was expecting something solid and nice, but let me assure you this is way beyond that. This set is easily of collectable quality and design. Cloth covered hard-backs with cloth covered slip-case, gilt imprints, fold-out pages, premium-grade paper and printing....just incredible. I really don't know how they did a production of this quality at this price point, and I don't know how the super premium edition could have been any better. This is down-right ominous.
If you are interested in photography, wild life, Africa, travel, environmental causes, Peter Beard, journalism, photo journalism, or premium quality books, any of those, you will definitely want this for your collection. I have bought several high-end books in the last year (the Taschen Vanessa del Rio volume, the deluxe Hunter S. Thompson retrospective, the Sin City deluxe sets, etc.) and none of them match this for certified beauty of production. The imagery is narcotically relaxing and Beard is a fascinating and roguish subject. He's kind of a blue-blood, but he is tough as nails, and he still knows how to have fun and live it up. I like rebels who don't get caught up in self-righteous austerity and who pursue their work with a cocktail in one hand, a Leica in the other, and a beautfiful woman back at camp tending the fire, or scenarios basically resembling that. Work hard, play hard....that's the key, not merely moderation. Beard has saying I've always remembered, although I might not quote it perfectly: "A beautiful woman is the last uncorrupted manifestation of nature that we have left on Earth."
This book captures his spirit and legacy wonderfully. Thanks again, Taschen.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A Rich, Incredible Book full of an Incredible Life!
1 Dec 2008
Format:Hardcover
This is a truly impressive book filled with incredible texture and examples of Peter Beard's prolific handmade books and journals. It's very inspiring to artists and writers, and the reproductions are excellent. It is an amazing value for the money. It arrived in perfect condition, two volumes tucked into a rich blue cloth slipcase. It looks like it should cost over $100 dollars.
Frankly, it is actually exhausting to page through the book, so filled with detail, life, surprises and glimpses of the many celebrity guests that spent time with Peter (Rolling Stones, Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, various supermodels) that it's best to take it in small doses and treat each visit as a little treat!
I highly recommend this book as an amazing gift-- or better yet, keep it for yourself!
Biggest lesson: fling yourself out there and lead the most incredible life possible.
Frankly, it is actually exhausting to page through the book, so filled with detail, life, surprises and glimpses of the many celebrity guests that spent time with Peter (Rolling Stones, Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, various supermodels) that it's best to take it in small doses and treat each visit as a little treat!
I highly recommend this book as an amazing gift-- or better yet, keep it for yourself!
Biggest lesson: fling yourself out there and lead the most incredible life possible.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
The Essential Peter Beard Book
18 Aug 2009
Format:Hardcover
This has the complete Peter Beard collection of images/collages/photographs and writings in a two volume, very large book set. The price is an incredible bargain considering the number of pages, deluxe printing effects, and slipcase that are included. If you like Beard then there should be no hesitation, this is the single essential volume to own.
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