“AN EPIC HISTORY OF OUR CENTURY OF WAR”

BOLTANSKI, Christian. Kaddish. Paris: Musée d'Art Modern; München: Gina Kehayoff Verlag, (1998). Thick quarto, original gray paper-covered boards. $650.

First trade edition of Boltanski’s moving photobook, a “monumental book… a gigantic memento mori” (Parr & Badger II), illustrated with 1,148 black-and-white photographic images.

"With no words other than four German nouns as section headings—MENSCHLICH, ÖRTLICH, SACHLICH, STERBLICH… Boltanski creates an epic history of our century of war" (San Francisco Chronicle Book Review). Based "on a quartet of memorable installations" by this accomplished conceptual artist, Kaddish expresses Boltanski's continuing interest the Holocaust and "in the inherent melancholy of photography, not only as a poignant record of a life, but for its double-edged nature… It is a monumental book, over 1,100 images culled from newspapers, archives, books, postcards, found photographs and flea-market pictures… a gigantic memento mori, the primary aim of all Boltanski's work" (Parr & Badger II:173). Following publication of his Menschlich in 1994, "Boltanski went on to produce three more volumes in the same format: Sachlich (Materiality, 1995), Sterblich (Mortality, 1996) and Örtlich (Locality, 1997), which were all eventually collected into one volume, Kaddish" (Roth, 272). First trade edition, with over 1,100 full-bleed duotone photographic images, published to coincide with the 1998 exhibit of his work at the Paris Museum of Modern Art. Preceded by deluxe limited edition of 75 copies. Open Book, 384.

Expert repair to front joint.