Synopses & Reviews
Sportscape tells the story of how sport has been shown by photographers over a period of 100 years, focusing on the beauty and interest of the photographs and what they are telling us about the development of sport. Many photographs have never been published before; each has been selected to contribute to a fascinating story of social, political and technological development over time as well as being of interest in its own right.
Director of The Photographers Gallery in London, Paul Wombells curatorial skills are at the centre of the book. Through his fascinating, surprising and beautiful selection themes emerge from the pictures giving the book a dynamic thrust: from amateurism to professionalism, from wide views to tight focus, black and white to colour, from local to international, everything getting faster and brighter and more dynamic as the century progresses. Sports columnist for The Times and Sports feature writer of the Year, 1999, Simon Barness introduction discusses the themes that emerge from the pictures, how the many unusual and original photographs reveal a history of sport and of the twentieth-century via a new route, and draws fascinating comparisons between photographs and events separated by many decades.
The photographs have been selected from the collection of Allsport, the worlds leading sports photographic agency and the historic Hulton Getty Archive.
Review
"You don't have to be a jock to fall for Sportscape a massive slab of sports images...the images have been chosen with an eye trained on art as well as action." The Village Voice
Synopsis
"Sportscape" tells the story of how sport has been shown by photographers over a period of 100 years, focusing on the beauty and interest of the shots and what they are telling viewers about the development of sport. All photos have been selected from the collection of Allsport and the historic Hulton Getty Archive. 400 photos in color and b&w.
About the Author
Paul Wombell is the Director of the Photographers Gallery in London. He has had a lifetime interest in sport and is the author of Photovideo, Battle: Passchendale 1917: evidence of wars reality, as well as many exhibition catalogues for the Photographers Gallery.
Simon Barnes has been the Sportswriter of the Year in 1999, sports columnist for The Times (of London) for over 20 years. He is also a novelist and his new book is shortly to be published by HarperCollins.