Bruce Davidson

The second in an acclaimed series of illustrated biographies of Magnum photographers, this volume chronicles the life and work of Bruce Davidson, a truly American artist, iconoclast, and humanist. Bruce Davidson began his love affair with photography at age ten. The son of a hardworking divorced mother, he was a loner who disliked school and had difficulty conforming to the world around him. His camera released him from the boundaries of his youth and opened the doors to a lifetime’s work. Vicki Goldberg's authoritative text explores the wide range of his vision and technique, and reveals how his work has played a critical role in 20th-century photography. The text includes beautifully reproduced images from his most iconic series such as Brooklyn Gang, East 100th Street, Subway, and Time of Change: Civil Rights Photographs, along with never-before-seen archival material from Davidson’s private archive. Davidson’s photographs reveal his curiosity about, and empathy for, his subjects; whether he is documenting circuses, gangs, East Harlem tenements, Jewish cafeterias, Welsh miners, or Central Park, Davidson imbues his work with an eye for narrative. His pictures tell stories—and he lets them speak for themselves. The result is a comprehensive and elegantly presented portrait of an artist’s life and work."His signature series, brought together in a new biography titled Bruce Davidson: An Illustrated Biography: Magnum Legacy authored by Vicki Goldberg, published by ©Prestel and available now, chronicled the struggle of alienated Americans and underground culture – from wayward youths in Brooklyn Gang (1959), to the turbulent protests against segregation in Time of Change: Civil Rights Photographs (1961–65), and inner-city ghetto life in East 100th Street (1970)."

—Dazed
"The Magnum Legacy Series is shaping up to be one of the most desirable titles in the plethora of artists monographs."

—Amateur Photographer
"What comes through this richly textured bio is Bruce Davidson’s reliable empathy, whether photographing tenement dwellers in Harlem or scenes of the underside of glamour . . . As Goldberg makes clear in her text, Davidson mastered the art of blending in and slyly capturing moments: 'There is a way to get into any community if you don’t knock too loudly,' he said."

—American Photo
"[The] monographs are some of my favorites ever published, in particular Brooklyn Gang, East 100th Street, and Subway. One of the things I admire most about [the] work is the deep sense of humanity that exists, a compassion and consideration for the details of people’s lives and the dignity of the individual."

—Crave
"In Bruce Davidson: An Illustrated Biography, writer Vicki Goldberg presents an affectionate, sometimes reverent look at the documentary photographer and the major events and turning points in his career . . . Goldberg is persuasive in positioning Davidson's work between the worlds of art, social documentary, and activism."

—PDN Photo District News