Loved, hated, revered, scorned, real, imagined: this is Los Angeles. Looking at Los Angeles is a fascinating journey into the center of the city's heart and soul. Pictured within its pages is a Los Angeles of powerful dreams and startling realities. Editors Marla Hamburg Kennedy and Ben Stiller have gathered pictorial representations of Los Angeles from the last three-quarters of a century, resulting in this selection of more than 200 stunning, beautifully reproduced color and duotone depictions of the city from different eras and different points of view. Along with the carefully chosen images by approximately 100 photographers who have time again turned to Los Angeles for inspiration, a preface and foreword by the editors describe their great affection for the city, while David L. Ulin's essay offers a critical and loving look at Los Angeles. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Los Angeles Conservancy, and the organization provides an essay about the importance of saving this city's rich architectural heritage.
Looking at Los Angeles is at once a lesson in history, architecture, style, and culture, and a remarkable visual and written tribute to one of America's greatest cities. Includes photographs by: Robert Adams, John Baldessari, William Claxton, Will Connell, Joe Deal, John Divola, William Eggleston, Sam Fentress, Anthony Friedkin, John Humble, Dennis Keeley, Florian Maier-Aichen, Grant Mudford, Karin A. Mueller, Catherine Opie, Ed Ruscha, Stephen Shore, Julius Schulman, Joel Sternfeld, Timothy Street-Porter, John Swope, Andy Warhol, Julian Wasser, Robert Weingarten, Garry Winogrand, Max Yavno, and others. L.A. is a city not easily categorized (though easily maligned), and these artists have captured its complex strata--the surreal urban nightmare, the endless expanse of surburbia, and the oasis of palm trees and beach. Truly and inarguably, Los Angeles is a place of paradox, of complexity and contradiction. It is one of the world's greatest metropolises, and it is unique. Edited by Marla Kennedy and Ben Stiller, with Jane Brown and Craig Krull.
Essay by David L. Ulin and the Los Angeles Conservancy. Hardcover, 14 x 11 in./250 pgs / 113 color and 110 duotones.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
For those who love LA:
This book is a treasure for LA lovers. It accomplishes formidable task of reflecting both the outer and inner layers of this beautiful, complex city. The copy and photography complement each other elegantly and thoughtfully in this great tribute to a wonderful city. It is a must-have for anyone who loves Los Angeles.
Stretch city:
How do you photographically sum a city like Los Angeles? The editors of this sumptuous coffee-table book give it a go and I think succeed, just look at the names in the Book Description above. Eighty-eight photographers in all and some I've never heard of but their 225 images do give a feel of this extraordinary endless place. Look through the pages and the only conclusion is that this must be Los Angeles. The book is loosely divided into themes: freeways and autos, shops, buildings, suburbs, signs,... more info
