El Lissitzky Beyond the Abstract Cabinet Photography, Design, Collaboration

"EL LISSITZKY, BEYOND THE ABSTRACT CABINET: PHOTOGRAPHY, DESIGN, COLLABORATION is among the more meticulously crafted publications on photography to have appeared in the last dozen years. The plates reproduce the tactile quality of the artist's work whether as thumbnail images accompanying the text or as catalog entries. Particularly noteworthy are the intense reds of the lithographic publications such as USSR in Construction and the soft shadings of the gelatin silver prints. The book is a scholarly focus on EL Lissitzky that contributes to our understanding of the collaborative process of his work and the effects of this polemical figure on other practitioners. Much of its value comes from surrounding the text with extensive work from El Lissitzky's portfolio, unpublished archival materials, and photographs created by the artist's comrades. Like the exhibition, the catalog encourages readers to see with their own eyes and reflect on El Lissitzky's concept of modern composition and production techniques."Tupitsyn, Margarita is the author of 'El Lissitzky Beyond the Abstract Cabinet Photography, Design, Collaboration' with ISBN 9780300081701 and ISBN 0300081707.