Christian Boltanski - Kaddish - 1998

As the artist most seriously concerned with exploring the cultural legacy of the Second World War, Boltanski's installations and, more recently, his books draw directly from the diverse materials of history--from official records to posters of missing children--undermining the antiseptic quality of historical research on the pain and confusion of human atrocities.

"The four bodies of work that make up Kaddish (Menschlich, Sachlich, Sterblich and Ortlich)... are so closely related to each other, both in form and in overall concept, that to gather them together is a natural progression, and makes for an incredibly powerful and moving photobook... It is a monumental book, over 1,100 images culled from newspapers, archives, books,postcards, found photographs and flea-market pictures, mainly of people, but also of objects and places, making up a gigantic memento mori, the primary aim of all Boltanski's work."

"Christian Boltanski has been one of the most prolific makers of artists books, partly because much of his work is about the nature of the archive, and partly because of his ongoing concern with photography's multiple faculty as a repository for evidence, memories, dreams and desires. A major part of his investigation has been concerned with the Holocaust; but not all of it, for he is interested generally in the inherent melancholy of photography, not only as a poignant record of a life, but for it's double-edged nature - the fact that it can be utilized in both benign and malignant fashion. The same snapshot, a fount of affectionate memory for some, can be used as a surveillance tool by others." Parr and Badger, The Photobook, Vol 2

This important book is included in:
Martin Parr and Gerry Badger, The Photobook, Vol 2, page 173.
802 photo books from the M + M. Auer collection, page 745.

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Condition:
Very good first edition copy of this important book. Scratch to rear cover and very slight dent to corners. Very small patch of light discoloration to bottom of spine (difficult to photograph). Please examine listing photos carefully. *Please note that this is a very heavy book so check the postage costs. *