Injustice, violence, the rise of the American civil rights movement, high fashion and the arts—Gordon Parks captured half a century of the vast changes of the American cultural landscape in his multi-faceted career. I AM YOU: Selected Works, 1942–1978 reveals the breadth of his work as the first African American photographer for Vogue and Life magazines , as a filmmaker, and a writer. Reportage for major magazines dominated Parks’ work from 1948 to 1972. He chronicled black America’s struggle for equality, exposing the harsh realities of life in Harlem, institutionalized racism, and shocking poverty. Parks was equally accomplished as a portraitist, capturing figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King alongside entertainers including Duke Ellington and Ingrid Bergman. He turned his attention to film in the 1960s with social documentaries as well as the now cult classic Shaft (1971). This book, co-published by Steidl with The Gordon Parks Foundation and C/O Berlin, traces the threads of Parks’ achievements, examining his multi-layered oeuvre through the interaction between his photographic and filmic visions.
Gordon Parks, I am You – Selected Works 1942-1978
Published by Steidl
€ 35
