Extraordinary collection of unseen photographs of the Beat Generation. First book ever published with colour shots of the Beats.
This magnificent book features a remarkable collection of largely unseen photographs of the Beat Generation by renowned Magnum photographer Burt Glinn. This amazing, untouched treasure trove of images was discovered when RAP was working with Burt Glinn's widow, Elena, on a larger retrospective of Glinn's work. The book features black and white shots, and also over 70 images in colour: an extremely rare find, these photographs manage to capture the raw energy of the Beat Generation in a way that has never been seen before in print.
The photographs were shot between 1957 and 1960 in New York and San Francisco and feature nearly everyone involved in the scene, including Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, poets like Gregory Corso and William Morris, and many more. Glinn was celebrated for his extraordinary talent as a social documentary photographer and during his time with the Beats, his camera captured the spirit of the counterculture – writers, musicians and artists meeting in cafes, bars and parties to pursue a truth and future the mainstream would and could not acknowledge.
This exquisite tome is an intimate and fresh insight into the lives of the legendary and influential Bohemians and a celebration of Glinn's inimitable talent.
About the Photographer
Burt Glinn (1925-2008) was an award-winning photographer with a career spanning more than fifty years. Self taught, Glinn was versatile and technically brilliant. He worked for Life magazine in the late 1940s before going freelance. He joined Magnum Photos in 1951 – one of the first Americans to do so – eventually serving as its president in the 1970s and again in the 1980s. Glinn embraced colour photography as well as black and white, establishing his reputation with a spectacular colour series on the South Seas, Japan, Russia, Mexico and California. He captured crucial moments in history, including the Sinai War in 1956, the US Marine invasion of Lebanon in 1958, the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. He offered searing insight with his social documentary photography, was renowned for his iconic portraits of celebrities such as Andy Warhol and Elizabeth Taylor and was also a highly successful commercial photographer.
170 photographs
Industry Reviews
Amazing, untouched treasure trove of images...these photographs manage to capture the raw energy of the Beat Generation in a way that has never been seen before in print.-- "bobdylan.com"
An unprecedented look inside the Beat scene.-- "Another Man"
Documentary photographer Burt Glinn ... captured key figures of the Beat generation. The color and black-and-white images, recently released by Glin's widow, capture the bohemian creatives at parties, cafes, and bars.--Robert Atkins "Art in America"
Fifties bohemia comes alive in photographs by Burt Glinn -- from poetry readings to parties to a brawl starring poet Gregory Corso.-- "Rolling Stone"
Newly discovered photo series by famed 20th century photojournalist Burt Glinn captures the broader cultural scope of the era in The Beat Scene... without doubt one of the best archival photo titles of the year.--Lew Whittington "New York Journal of Books"
Not only does the work offer a portrait of the Beats in all of their glory, but of a photographer who would soon go on to establish himself as one of the leading names of his generation.-- "Huck"
The Beat Generation in its natural habitat.--John Leland "New York Times"
