Photographs of Ray K Metzker

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This is the first comprehensive survey of Heathandrsquo;s deeply personal work, focusing on his astounding contributions to black-and-white photography. These images span the first 20 years of his career, 1949 to 1969, and many of them are previously unpublished. Filling a major gap in scholarship, the catalogue surveys the most groundbreaking facets of Heathandrsquo;s creative work and highlights its historical importance. Heathandrsquo;s art is ripe for rediscovery, and this book reaffirms his status as a key figure in 20th-century American photography.

Ray K. Metzker (b. 1931) is one of the greatest living photographers of the modern era, although his name may not be as broadly familiar as that of some of his peers. Richly illustrated, The Photographs of Ray K. Metzker brings his extraordinary work to the attention of a larger audience, summarizing his life and achievements over the past six decades. With a fresh perspective, curator and author Keith F. Davis explores the roots of Metzkerandrsquo;s innovative vision, from his early interest in photojournalism through his studies with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind at Chicagoandrsquo;s Institute of Design in the late 1950s, and his bold innovations of the 1960s and 1970s. Metzkerandrsquo;s work is richly diverse, embracing landscape, city scenes, and the expressive potential of the multiple image. These many themes are united by Metzkerandrsquo;s technical precision and daring, and his graphic use of sunlight and shadow. He has repeatedly reinvented his approach to the medium, and this book testifies to the remarkable range and originality of his work.