Fred Herzog Photographs

Fred Herzog's bold use of colour in the 1950s and 60s set him apart at a time when the only art photography taken seriously was in black and white. His early use of color make him a forerunner of "New Colour" photographers such as Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, who received widespread acclaim in the 1970s. Herzog images were all taken on Kodachrome, a slide film with a sharpness and tonal range that, until recently, could not be reproduced in prints, and his choice of medium limited his exhibition opportunities. However, recent advances in digital technology have made high-quality prints of his work possible, and in the past few years his substantial and influential body of work has been available to a wider audience.
"Fred Herzog: Photographs" showcases this innovative artist's impressive oeuvre in a beautifully crafted volume of early color and urban street photography. Providing authoritative texts are four titans of the art community: Jeff Wall anchors Herzog's place in the history of photography, Claudia Gochmann sets his work in an international context and Sarah Milroy and Douglas Coupland provide additional commentary.


Author: Claudia Gochmann
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Published: 11/15/2011
Pages: 197
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 3.60lbs
Size: 10.10h x 12.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781553655589


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/01/2012 pg. 62

About the Author
Fred Herzog was born in 1930 in Germany and moved to Vancouver in 1953. After a three-year stint as a sea man, he begin working as a medical photographer, while still finding time to hone his art, choosing colour film as a way to capture urban vitality. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Herzog taught in the fine arts departments at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. He has participated in major exhibitions in Canada-including at the National Gallery of Canada, Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery and UBC Fine Arts Gallery --and around the world, from the Laurence Miller Gallery in New York to the C/O Berlin in Germany.
Douglas Coupland was born on a Canadian NATO base in Germany and raised in Vancouver, where he still resides. Among his best-selling novels are "Generation X, Microserfs," and "Miss Wyoming." Coupland also exhibits his sculpture in galleries around the world, indulging in design experiments that include everything from launching collections of furniture to futurological consulting for Stephen Spielberg.
Sarah Milroy, former editor of Canadian Art magazine, is an art critic who has written for journals, magazines and newspapers, including the "National Post" and the "Globe and Mail." She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Claudia Gochmann is an art historian and writer based in Berlin. She has written for "Photography Now" and is the co-author of "ArchitekTour: Usedom."
Jeff Wall is best known for his large-scale back-lit cibachrome photographs and art-historical writing. He has exhibited around the world, including at the MoMA and the Tate Modern.