‘The Stamp of Fantasy: The Visual Inventiveness of Photographic Postcards‘
Fotomuseum Winterhur, Jeu de Paume Paris, Museum Folkwang Essen
Steidl
English, Deutsch
Hardcover
215 pages
300 x 300 mm
2007
ISBN 9783865216083
At the start of the 20th century, long before the triumphal march of the illustrated press, photography in the form of postcards was all the rage. This volume presents the extraordinary inventiveness in postcard production that unites elements of popular culture with photographic images. At the center of attention is the intense interaction between the so-called “fantasy” postcards and the avant-garde art of the 1920s and 1930s, the Dadaists and Surrealists. Paul Eluard, André Breton and Salvador Dalí were enthusiastic collectors of fantasy postcards and Hannah Höch, Herbert Bayer, Man Ray and many others used them as material for their work.
Most of the postcards presented in The Stamp of Fantasy are from the collections owned by Peter Weiss and Gérard Lévy.
About the Publisher
Gerhard Steidl began working as a printer and designer in 1968. From political non-fiction he then expanded into literature and selected books on art and photography. Steidl publishes German literature as well as translations from French, English and Icelandic.
In 1994 Steidl launched its international photobook program. Today it includes some of the world’s most renowned photographers and artists including Joel Sternfeld, Bruce Davidson, Robert Frank, Robert Adams, Karl Lagerfeld, Lewis Baltz, Dayanita Singh, Ed Ruscha, Roni Horn and Juergen Teller, to name but a few.
Every Steidl book distinguishes itself through individual design and production values. Known for his passion for paper, printer and publisher Gerhard Steidl personally selects the paper and binding materials for each title and oversees all aspects of the production process – each Steidl book literally passes through his hands.
Over the decades Steidl at Düstere Strasse 4 in Göttingen has become one of the most respected printers in the international publishing world. Whether photography, art, fashion or literature, it is Steidl’s goal to realize the dreams and goals of artists and authors, and to create art in book form.
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