The Best of David Hamilton. Text by Denise Couttès
New York: Morrow Quill Paperbacks, 1980. 1st Paperback Edition. Quarto, publisher's stiff photo-illustrated paper wraps.
First paperback edition photobook of controversial British photographer David Hamilton’s work. After working as a graphic designer in the early 1950s, Hamilton became art director for Printemps, the largest department store in Paris. There he became acquainted with commercial photography and began to develop what would become his signature soft-focus style, now regarded as the "Hamilton blur" (which some believed was achieved by smearing Vaseline on his camera lens). During the early 1970s, Hamilton gained widespread acclaim for his "erotic-romantic" images of young girls, resulting in magazine editorials, museum and gallery exhibitions, feature films, and several successful photobooks, including this volume. This monograph comprises shots of nude and semi-nude near-teen girls, child dancers, and portraits of his wife Mona Kristensenin in his trademark style, all culled from photobooks issued by publisher Robert Laffont in the early 1970s. Illustrated in color and black-and-white. Originally published in hardcover in 1976. First printing with complete number row to copyright page. Fine. Item #12809
$75.00