Signed; Pepi Merisio - The Water’s Civilization - 1990

Exceptional copy signed on the title page by Pepi Merisio (1931 – 2021), unique and unfindable on the internet in a signed copy. 232 pages and 214 color photographs, mostly full-page with captions and detailed locations, photographs by Pepi Merisio in collaboration with his son, the photographer Luca Merisio, texts in Italian by Federico Fazzuoli, very beautiful blue-toned publisher’s binding with the title impressed in relief in light blue on the cover and back, and illustrated dust jacket on the cover. In excellent condition, practically like new.

Very attached to natural heritage and landscapes, Pepi Merisio photographs here the theme of water as a source of life and civilization. Water descending from the mountains gives birth to rivers and streams, irrigates agricultural lands and is also a significant source of energy, whether through simple water mills or vast power plants near certain dams. It shapes the landscapes of the countryside as well as the urban planning of cities and inspires artists who adorn fountains with statues. But Pepi Merisio probably did not anticipate that this water resource would also become so scarce today with drought affecting all continents, and he did not know that this water would become as polluted as plastics or abusive industrial discharges, yet this photographic work by Pepi Merisio reminds us how precious this natural element is.

Pepi Merisio, independent photographer, spent almost his entire life on the territory of Bergamo, which he explored in all its extent, traversing its plains and valleys as well as high-mountain villages. He quickly gained significant international recognition, as in July 1966 the Swiss-based French-language magazine Camera published in Lucerne devoted an important dossier to him. While director of Camera, Roméo Martinez introduced him into the Les Grands photographes collection (https://www.messinissalibri.com/prodotto/152963-i-grandi-fotografi-pepi-merisio) and Pepi Merisio signed with Gianni Berengo Gardin, whom he regarded as a brother in photography, the volume on Latium for the Touring Club of Italy.

The illustrious photographer Ferdinando Scianna would declare in 2021 upon Pepi Mérisio’s death: “I met Pepi in 1967 when I had just arrived from Sicily, and he already had great international prestige.” “He had just won an international prize with the report on the death of Uncle Angelo; many people gravitated around him and I had great admiration… He had chosen his visual relationship to the world, the world he wanted to talk about, and the way he wanted to do it… He had a political-cultural commitment more than a direct one… He was a great anthropologist of the peasant world. His archives are a cultural treasure that we will continue to need to understand where we come from and where we are going, if we are going anywhere at all.” (https://bergamo.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/21_febbraio_04/ferdinando-sciannalui-ci-fa-capire-dove-veniamo-19b7d422-66bc-11eb-8ada-57b39586265a.shtml)

Book from my personal collection kept with the utmost care, in excellent condition (see photo). Shipments securely packaged with reinforced packaging and guaranteed international tracking. In case of multiple purchases, group shipping is possible with reimbursement of any excess postage paid via Paypal.

1,750 excluding packaging