In 2009 Contrasto launched a new project and created the series “Box”: Photo:Box, Fashion:box, Music:Box and Movie:Box. The series was soon published abroad. The first title was Photo:Box, it has been translated from the original Italian in 10 other languages. The second book of the series, “Fashion:box”, has 8 different versions. The two latest Music:Box and Movie:Box, translated in 7 languages and published with 7 different publishing houses. Movie:box editions: Thames & Hudson (UK), Abrams (USA), Éditions du Chêne (France), Seigensha (Japan), Lunwerg (Spain) and Thoth (Netherlands).
Until now worldwide sales of Box series were estimated at about 300.000 copies and Photo:box has become one of the international bestsellers among picture books. In a snappy format, bound with magnetic closure, every anthology is curated by a specialist and offers fresh perspectives on a subject. Photo:box From reportage on nature, war, portraits, still lifes, women, travel, cities, art, fashion, the nude and sports, this book is a a unique, comprehensive compendium of photography. A collection of 250 photographs by more than 200 of the world’s most prominent photographers. Each image is accompanied by a commentary and a brief biography of the photographer. Many of the photographs are renowned images that have become icons of our time, while others are less well known but deserve discovery.
Photographers include Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, Robert Frank, Nan Goldin, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, and many more. FashionBox. The Immortal Icons of Style This book takes a look at sixteen classic fashion items as worn by the stars who made them famous. Each of the pieces has its own chapter introduced by an essay from fashion writer Antonio Mancinelli, followed by a series of unforgettable photographs of the clothes worn by such stars and celebrities as Brigitte Bardot, Ursula Andress, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Kennedy, Grace Jones, Lauren Bacall and Emmanuelle Béart. Music:Box Photographing the All Time Greats It gathers more than 450 such legendary photographers of musicians, covering the stars of jazz, blues, rock and roll, soul, and all of their contemporary offshoots.
The book, curated by the Italian music critic Gino Castaldo, collects photographs such as Philippe Halsman’s seminal portrait of Louis Armstrong, Jim Marshall’s vision of Jimi Hendrix kneeling over his burning guitar, Annie Leibovitz’s shot of Bruce Springsteen leaping in front of the American flag, Chester Higgins Jr’s soulful 50 Cent, and many more. Movie:Box. Photographing the Magic of Cinema The book is a portrait of cinema, a stunning collection of photographs that are now part of our collective memory. A photographic journey through the history of cinema, Movie:Box is a collection of more than 350 images of the most iconic movies and film stars, as immortalized by renowned photographers. From the unforgettable images of the names of Hollywood’s past- Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Alfred Hitchcock – and the hottest stars of today – Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Christian Bale, and many more.
This article is from the archives of Le Journal de la Photographie.
