Publisher Taschen has released "Ralph Gibson: Photographs 1960-2024," the most comprehensive collection of work by the acclaimed American photographer. The extensive publication showcases six decades of image creation from one of photography's most prolific and celebrated artists, featuring nudes, portraits, still lifes, and narrative works all captured through Gibson's faithful use of his Leica camera.
Throughout his career, Gibson has explored various photographic genres while creating entirely new categories of visual expression. As an inveterate traveler, he primarily works through inspired series that combine associated dream-like images in both monochrome and color. His notable series titles include "The Somnambulist," "Déjà-Vu," "Days at Sea," and "Chiaroscuro," all of which highlight the particular poetic sensitivity that permeates his entire body of work.
Gibson's professional journey began in 1960 when he worked with legendary photographer Dorothea Lange. He later moved to New York in 1967, where he quickly gained recognition alongside contemporaries Larry Clark and Diane Arbus. While his photographs and series speak for themselves, Gibson believes that behind every image lies a philosophy, which he explores through short texts included in his work, presenting his artistic thesis and meditative approach to subjects that only the silence of imagery can attempt to capture.
The photographer's career began in the 1950s when he started taking photographs while serving in the U.S. Navy. He subsequently worked as an assistant to both Dorothea Lange and Robert Frank before establishing his own studio in New York. His artistic achievements have been recognized through fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, and in 2002, the French government honored him as a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.
The new Taschen publication spans from Gibson's earliest photographs taken in San Francisco, Hollywood, and New York during the 1960s to his most recent work, making it the most complete collection of this highly recognized photographer's career. The hardcover book contains 552 pages and is published as a multilingual edition in English, French, and German, with ISBN 978-3-7544-0268-9, priced at 60 euros and available through www.taschen.com.
