"STARS OF THE TWENTIES" par James ABBE. Edition Thames and Hudson, Londres. 1975. Imprimé aux USA. Grand in-8, couverture toilée bleue sous jaquette photo. Non paginé (128p). Texte en anglais de Mary Dawn Early, introduction par Lillian Gish, illustré de 130 reproductions photographiques noir & blanc, pleine page pour la plupart, par James Abbe.

 

"Photographer of the great and near-great on many continents, James Abbe was possibly the first to capture candid spontaneity in photographing celebrities. Of the cumbersome view camera he used in the twenties he later admitted, 'Because of the necessary time exposures, I'd frequently resort to the Mathew Brady technique of virtually hypnotising my subject while I exposed the film.' The incredible range of the photographs shown here demonstrates just how successful he was in conveying this ideal of suspended action…Abbe went on to combine writing with photography and to become a pioneer in photojournalism. From there it was a natural step to war correspondent, radio news commentator, and television critic. It is the Abbe portraits of the twenties, however, that bring us today all the shining brightness of his special talent…"

 

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