Il Pittore Bastari, 1992–1993
Io sono nessuno, 1992–1994
La notte lava la mente, 1994–1995
Bando, 1997–1999
La mia vita intera, 1998–2000
Questo ricordo lo vorrei raccontare, 2000
Further Reading
Carli, Enzo.Giacomelli, la forma dentro, fotografie 1952–
1995. Milan: Charta, 1995.
Celant, Germano, ed.Mario Giacomelli. Milan: Photology,
and Modena: Logos, 2001.
Crawford, Alistair. Mario Giacomelli, a Retrospective,
1955–1983. Aberystwyth: Ffotogallery Cardiff and Vi-
sual Art Department and University College of Wales,
1983.
Frontoni, Renzo.Obiettivo Scanno: Cartier-Bresson, Giaco-
melli, Monti, Roiter, Berengo Gardin, Bucci e altri. Ric-
cardo Tanturri, ed. Venice: Marsilio, 1997.
Photology presentaMario Giacomelli: Prime opere=Vin-
tage Photographs, 1954–1957, Milan: Photology, 1994.
Quintavalle, Arturo Carlo.Mario Giacomelli. Milan: Fel-
trinelli, 1980.
Taramelli, Ennery.Mario Giacomelli. Paris: Contrejour,
1992; 2nd ed., Paris: Nathan, 1998.
Vigano`, Enrica. ‘‘In ricordo di Mario Giacomelli.’’View on
Photography3, no. 1 (2001).RALPH GIBSON
American
Ralph Gibson has made significant contributions
to photography in the second half of the twentieth
century, particularly in the area of fine arts pho-
ographic publishing. As the founder of Lustrum
Press in 1969, Gibson put his belief that photogra-
phers needed to publish their photographs in an
appropriate format into action. He had worked in
advertising and design in Los Angeles, where he de-
veloped an understanding and appreciation of the
possibilities of the photographic book and, realized
that, in addition to exhibitions, books could be an
effective means of disseminating not only his own
photographs, but those of others.
Gibson was born on January 16, 1939 in Los
Angeles, California, and grew up in Hollywood.
His father was assistant director to Alfred Hitch-
cock and often took Gibson with him to the sets
during the 1940s. The lighting style of the period,
which featured sharp contrasts, had a lasting impact
on the impressionable young Gibson and would
later become a major characteristic of his photo-
graphs. Film, which is the illusion of movement
created by a series of still photographs, may also
have planted the idea of sequence, another of Gib-
son’s defining characteristics. As well, Gibson was
influenced by Hitchcock, the master of mystery
films, as can be seen in his often moody and mys-
terious photo-narratives. Later influences included
the filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Jean-Luc
Godard, as well as the writers of the nouveau
romanor new novel, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Marguer-
ite Duras, and Nathalie Saurraute. Gibson also ac-
knowledges his indebtedness to painter Giorgio De
Chirico and Surrealism.
After graduating from high school in 1956, Gib-
son enlisted in the United States Navy, where he
received some training as a photographer. Follow-
ing his discharge in 1960, he enrolled at the San
Francisco Art Institute, where he came into contact
with Dorothea Lange. He served as her assistant
from 1961 to 1962. Returning to Los Angeles in
1963, Ralph Gibson’s first serious projects in
photography were documentary in nature and
influenced by the work of Robert Frank, for
whom he served as assistant and cameraman on
his filmsMe and My BrotherandConversations in
Vermont, as well as that of Henri Cartier-Bresson
and William Klein, whose styles were in consider-
able contradiction. What these figures shared and
what Gibson responded to was their interest in
documenting contemporary urban life. But Gibson
had not yet found his own vision. His early series
The Strip: A Graphic Portrait of Sunset Boulevard
(1966) explored the nightlife of youth on Los
Angeles’ famous boulevard but did not achieve
much success.
Gibson’s approach to photography changed
radically in 1969, when he moved to New York
City, established a studio, and founded Lustrum
Press, which he directed. While he developed hisGIBSON, RALPH