PHOTOBOOKS OF NOTE 2019 - MATTHEW GENITEMPO
There’s loads of books I’ve yet to see this year, but here are my favorites in no particular order. This time around I took a note from Ron Jude and decided to recommend some musical pairings.
Alan Huck - I Walk Toward the Sun Which is Always Going Down
Not only one of the best photobooks of the year, it’s one of the best books of the year. Writing and photography have their own limitations and usually the endeavor results in something that obstructs both forms. That is not the case with I Walk Towards the Sun… This book is sincere, smart, funny and belongs in a category of its own.
Musical pairing: Michael Muller - LOWER RIVER
Jenia Fridlyand - Entrance to our Valley
I have such deep admiration for this work and I’m not sure anything I could write here would do it justice.
Musical pairing: Duane Pitre’s - Bayou Electric
Michael Ashkin - were it not for
This book is another great example that successfully integrates text with image. There’s a great deal to discover and I continue to find a deeper significance with each visit.
Musical pairing: Daniel Lanois - Belladonna
I didn’t know you could pack this many animals into a frame. This book is filled with so much beauty, energy and outright absurdity. It’s easily the the most fun I’ve had looking at a photobook this year.
Musical pairing: Ernest Hood - Neighborhood
Sheron Rupp - Taken from Memory
Rupp’s photographs are undeniable. I’ve caught a glimpse of these pictures over the years and it’s wonderful to finally have them in one place.
Musical pairing: Elizabeth Cotten - Freight Train and Other North Carolina Songs and Tunes
Honorable mentions -
Ben Brody - Attention Service Member
Drew Nikonowicz - This World and Others Like It
Matthew Genitempo is a photographer currently living in Marfa, TX. His book Jasper was a big one for these lists last year and i can't wait to see what he's got cooking next! Matthew is also one of the fellas behind Trespasser Books. We like what they are up to.
