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David Goldblatt

No Ulterior Motive
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
David Goldblatt: No Ulterior Motive offers a panoramic view of the career of South African photographer David Goldblatt (1930–2018), celebrated for his profound photographic documentation of life under apartheid and its aftermath. The volume showcases a thematic selection of Goldblatt's work, spanning black-and-white images from the 1950s to the 1990s and later large-format colour photographs. It highlights his focus on working-class people, landscapes, and the built environment, enriched by archival objects from Goldblatt's personal collection. Contributions from contemporary photographers and scholars, many of whom Goldblatt mentored, provide diverse perspectives on his enduring influence.
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Format: Hardback
$11999
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This book is ideal for readers interested in photography, South African history, and cultural studies, as well as art enthusiasts keen on exploring socially engaged visual narratives.

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A panorama of the career of South African photographer David Goldblatt, elucidating his artistic commitments, networks, and influence

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A panorama of the career of South African photographer David Goldblatt, elucidating his artistic commitments, networks, and influence.

David Goldblatt: No Ulterior Motive coincides with a major traveling retrospective of the renowned South African photographer’s work. From vintage handprints of the artist’s black-and-white photography, taken between the 1950s and the 1990s, to his post-apartheid, large-format, colour work, photographs in the volume are approached thematically—under headers such as “Assembly,” “Disbelief,” “Dialogues,” and “Extraction”—to draw out the artist’s core interests in working-class people, the landscape, and the built environment.

Objects from Goldblatt’s (1930–2018) personal archive are also included. In an effort to create a more inclusive dialogue around Goldblatt’s work, the catalogue features images and texts by contemporary photographers and scholars, many of whom were mentored by Goldblatt, including Zanele Muholi and Sabelo Mlangeni. Some write on Goldblatt’s photographs, while others discuss his influence on their own work.

Goldblatt devoted his life to documenting his country and its people. Known for his nuanced portrayals of life under apartheid, he covered a wide range of subjects, all of them intimately connected to South African history and politics. The wide-ranging voices in this catalogue foster a broad frame of reference for his work, thus countering a frequent misunderstanding of apartheid as a situation peculiar to South Africa.

Published in association with Fundación MAPFRE, Art Institute of Chicago, and Yale University Art Gallery

Exhibition Schedule:

Art Institute of Chicago
(December 2, 2023–March 25, 2024)

MAPFRE, Madrid
(May 29, 2024–September 1, 2024)

Yale University Art Gallery
(February 21, 2025–June 22, 2025)

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300273410

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 12 September 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 215 color + b-w illus.

Contributors:

  • Edited by Matthew S. Witkovsky
  • Edited by Judy Ditner
  • Edited by Leslie M Wilson
  • Edited by Matthew S. Witkovsky
  • Preface by Njabulo S Ndebele
  • Contributions by Melissa Harris
  • Contributions by Candice Jansen
  • Contributions by Hilton Judin
  • Contributions by Lebohang Kganye
  • Contributions by Daniel Magaziner

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 241.0mm

Height: 279.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

Collections

African History Arts & Culture History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction Photography Books

About the Author

Judy Ditner is Richard Benson Associate Curator of Photography and Digital Media at the Yale University Art Gallery. Leslie M. Wilson is associate director of academic engagement and research at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Matthew S. Witkovsky is Richard and Ellen Sandor Chair and Curator of Photography and Media and vice president for strategic art initiatives, both at the Art Institute of Chicago.

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