Rencontres d'Arles - I
Countless exhibitions, some absolutely outstanding, above all the retrospective on Anne Leibovitz's early work for Rolling Stone magazine, a flood of BW images from the 60s and 70s shown floor to ceiling in a perfect grid continuum of raw-paper prints; a perfect counterpoint to her evening speech at the Theâtre Antique on July 6, focused on her more recent portrait work. But also Joel Meyerowitz's color work and Jacob Aue Sobol's prints matching his latest book, "With and Without You"; both were hanging around their spaces when I visited, adding the chance of a conversation to the pleasure of seeing their work "for real" rather than in book form. Plus the great work from Masahisa Fukase, the iconic Japanese master; I knew his obsession for ravens, but what a surprise to find him also fixated on his own... cat!
The entire city was a big photo party, this being the Rencontres' opening week with all of the press and publishers and gallerists descending on the normally sleepy town like a swarm of excited bees.... What a week.
