ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Ten Photography Books to Buy, Browse, and Study in 2021

publication · 2026-04-27

A curated list of ten photography books from 2020-2021 features notable titles such as 'Franco Vimercati. Un minuto di fotografia / One Minute of Photography' (Quodlibet, 2020), overseen by Marco Scotini, with contributions from Paolo Fossati and others. 'Maurizio Galimberti – Uno sguardo nel labirinto della Storia' (Skira, 2021) innovatively explores collage through found images. 'Carlo D’Orta – Architextures' (Eclipse, 2020) showcases architectural abstractions. 'The Earth Will Come to Laugh and Feast' (powerHouse Books, 2020) combines Gabriele Tinti's poetry with Roger Ballen's visuals. Additionally, titles like 'Tina Modotti. Donne, Messico e libertà' (24 Ore Cultura, 2021) and 'I giganti del mare' (Nomos, 2021) are included.

Key facts

  • Franco Vimercati (1940-2001) is the subject of a monograph curated by Marco Scotini, published by Quodlibet in 2020.
  • Maurizio Galimberti (born 1956) uses found photographs and film stills to create non-collages in his 2021 Skira book.
  • Carlo D'Orta (born 1955) photographs architectural reflections and abstractions, with a new cycle 'Biocities Grey'.
  • Gabriele Tinti (born 1979) writes ecphrastic poetry to accompany Roger Ballen's (born 1950) photographs in a 2020 powerHouse Books volume.
  • Tina Modotti (1896-1942) is the focus of a Mudec exhibition and catalog edited by Biba Giacchetti, published by 24 Ore Cultura in 2021.
  • Gaia Pasquale's 2021 Nomos book uses the Agenzia Lorandi archive to depict transatlantic cruises from Genoa to New York.
  • 'Abitata pietra' (2021) stems from a residency in Matera, Montescaglioso, and Mottola, with contributions from multiple photographers.
  • Stephen Frailey's 'Looking at Photography' (Damiani, 2020) profiles 99 photographers alphabetically by first name, excluding Italians.
  • MAST Foundation's 2018 annual volume (MAST-Electa, 2020) includes W. Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh industrial photography.
  • Bonnie Briant's 'Lump Sum Lottery' (Damiani, 2021) is a disordered sequence of images from a decade-long archive, with text by Silvia Plachy.

Entities

Artists

  • Franco Vimercati
  • Marco Scotini
  • Paolo Fossati
  • Luigi Ghirri
  • Javier Hontoria
  • Simone Menegoi
  • Elio Grazioli
  • Angela Madesani
  • Maurizio Galimberti
  • Carlo D'Orta
  • Gabriele Tinti
  • Roger Ballen
  • Tina Modotti
  • Biba Giacchetti
  • Frida Kahlo
  • Diego Rivera
  • Gaia Pasquale
  • Antonio Cammareri
  • Stefania D'Amato
  • Luogo Comune
  • Federico Barattini
  • Giuseppe Laera
  • Vincenzo Pagliuca
  • Felice Rosa
  • Marco Trulli
  • Emmanuele Curti
  • Mauro Acito
  • Stephen Frailey
  • Adam Fuss
  • Alec Soth
  • Alex Prager
  • Zoe Leonard
  • John Szarkowski
  • Urs Stahel
  • W. Eugene Smith
  • Bonnie Briant
  • Silvia Plachy
  • Nan Goldin
  • Juergen Teller
  • Marco Enrico Giacomelli

Institutions

  • Galleria Raffaella Cortese
  • Quodlibet
  • Skira
  • Eclipse
  • powerHouse Books
  • 24 Ore Cultura
  • Mudec
  • Nomos
  • Convento di San Francesco
  • Museo della fotografia Sestini
  • Agenzia Lorandi
  • Viaindustriae
  • Damiani
  • MAST Foundation
  • Studio Labics
  • Olivetti
  • Electa
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Milan
  • Italy
  • Macerata
  • New York
  • United States
  • Brooklyn
  • Mexico
  • Bergamo
  • Genoa
  • Matera
  • Montescaglioso
  • Mottola
  • Bologna
  • Pittsburgh
  • Ivrea
  • Paris
  • Nice
  • Mykonos
  • Mauthausen
  • Hasankeyf
  • Turkey
  • Alps
  • Rome
  • EUR
  • Dubai

Sources