Ursula Schulz-Dornburg & Katharina Sattler: Curtains at the Piazza San Marco in Venice / Vorhänge am Markusplatz in Venedig. Cologne, Verlag Studio Dumont / DuMont Buchverlag, 1973. Oblong large 4to in wraps as issued. Illustrated throughout with photographs by Ursula Schulz-Dornburg and a short text in both German, Italian and English by Sattler. Fine clean copy with only minimal wear to cover edges
The first book by Ursula Schulz-Dornburg, 1st edition, 1st printing
Out of Stock
“Berlin, Dublin, Lisbon, Rome, but also Amager, Aalborg and Aarhus.
The text reminiscences from the different cities tell about the development in the world and its cityscapes, where everything is always temporary and changing. They also testify to gentrification, for example in the inner city of Rome. The flagship stores of modern capitalism’s corporate stores have taken over retail space that used to offer ordinary necessities of life instead of Prada and Gucci. But in some places, the facades of the former shops remain as traces of a bygone everyday life.
With the right gaze or the right amount of light, these text images appear as suddenly appearing shadows against the background. The texts give the passer-by unfulfilled promises of charcuterie, flowers, bread, groceries, tobacco, etc. As faint markings on doors and windows on facades, where in the near or distant past there was a shop and welcomed customers.
The book’s sober black-and-white images point to the prevalence of the ‘dead’ semi-resolved texts in urban spaces – and the fairly uniform appearance that characterizes them regardless of geographical location. At the same time, the entropic decay can perhaps be compared to the texts left to us by now-disappeared cultures; The inscriptions of the Roman Empire, which are still found around the cityscape of Rome, or the Nordic rune stones and rock carvings”
Very scarce, eccentric photo illustrated work on public toilets and sexual graffiti. ‘Retirade Kunst’ was included in ‘802 photobooks of the M. Auer Collection’ (Auer, page 485). First (and only) edition – attractive copy
Out of Stock
New York: Congreve, 1978. Small4to. Publisher’s black cloth with well preserved dustjacket. 152 pp. Illustrated with photographs in black-and-white and colour. Text in English. Very good copy Early photo book by Helmut Newton (his sesond) and one his most well executed : A porno chic album. Included in ‘Book of…
