24 October 2011
read: lux et nox by bill henson
Australian photographer Bill Henson takes us on a visionary journey with this rare coffee table book.
Bill Henson’s visionary photographs explore the ambiguous spaces between night and day, light and dark and youth and adulthood. I have long been a fan of his photographs of landscapes at dusk, an industrial no-man’s land on the outskirts of town and his somewhat controversial portrayal of adolescent turmoil. The large-scale works have a painterly and romantic tableaux that is rather magical and exquisitely beautiful.
Drawing from 25 years of photographic efforts, Lux et Nox showcases some of the best of this master photographer’s work to date. This is a large book, and one with few words, allowing the work to speak for itself. And boy does it ever. There are many beautiful photography books out there but this is one that allows you to truly appreciate the genius and allure of Bill Henson’s work. I guarantee you’ll find it hard to put it down.
Like all great things, this book is super hard to come by, having been out of print for some time now. Perhaps it’s my lucky week; first the elusive Porsche glasses, and now word that our friends at Novel have just received a few copies of this prized tome. While owning an original Henson may still be up there on my bucket list, for the near foreseeable future I will be settling for this to take pride of place on my coffee table.
Available from Novel
