Deborah Turbeville

Photocollage

Editor Thames & Hudson
Author Nathalie Herschdorfer
Publication date 2023
Dimensions 25,5 x 30 cm
Number of pages 240
ISBN 978-0-500-02621-2
Price CHF 64.-

The unique photographic work of Deborah Turbeville positions her as a major figure since her beginnings in the 1970s. Her work defies classification. Her images are difficult to date at first glance; they seem imbued with a dreamlike atmosphere. Turbeville stands out from her male contemporaries, whose sharply styled and highly sexualized photographs of women now seem anchored in their time, unlike Turbeville's timeless representation of beauty.

This book focuses on a practice that makes Turbeville's work so unique: photocollage. Unlike her contemporaries in fashion photography, she approached her images with a deliberately playful intention: photocopying, cutting, scratching, assembling prints, writing in the margins, and creating narrative sequences. Her work transcends simple smooth images to occupy an intermediate zone between art and commerce.

Based on in-depth research in Deborah Turbeville's archives, the work presented covers commercial and personal projects, including many images published for the first time. With texts by Vince Aletti, Anna Tellgren, and Felix Hoffmann, this book highlights how Turbeville redefined fashion photography by moving away from sexual provocation and stereotypes imposed by male photographers, and by proposing an idea of femininity on her own terms. Today, Deborah Turbeville: Photocollage is an essential publication for all those passionate about fashion photography.

You may also like

Alice Mann – The Night is Young

"In South Africa the final year of high school is know as 'matric'. For students, the annual 'matric ball' carries huge significance and is a highly anticipated rite of passage. Despite South African students’ diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, for them and their families alike, the ba...
See detail →

Wojciech Zamecznik

The artist Wojciech Zamecznik (1923–1967) was an influential figure on the postwar Polish art scene. He is famous for his numerous posters, and his sphere of activity covered publishing, music, cinema and exhibition design. Zamecznik was a pioneer in combining photography with graphic art. The cat...
See detail →

Virginie Otth. Pour l'instant.

Capturing the almost-nothing, the everyday, the desire through a gaze. Between oneself and the world: photography as a focus. Is it possible to seize power (in imagery) with affection and gentleness? How to escape the ordinary, the commonplace, and the trivial aspects of the repetition of our action...
See detail →