Max Kozloff's 2007 Book 'The Theatre of the Face' Surveys Portrait Photography Across the 20th Century

Published in 2007 by Phaidon Press, Max Kozloff's 'The Theatre of the Face: Portrait Photography Since 1900' spans 336 pages and showcases 280 black-and-white and 70 color images organized into six thematic sections. The author explores the evolution of portrait photography, emphasizing theatricality and historical context, with notable mentions of early 20th-century figures such as Sir Benjamin Stone and Frances Benjamin Johnston. He also references Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian' project and connects the works of Agustín Víctor Casasola, Ernest Bellocq, and Lewis Hine. Chapter 2 focuses on self-portraiture from 1900 to 1935, while Chapter 4 examines August Sander's 'People of the Twentieth Century.' The concluding chapter highlights powerful portraiture from 1980 onwards, featuring artists like Peter Hujar and Cindy Sherman, along with a thorough bibliography and rich illustrations.