Subway

Bruce Davidson
Subway

Photographs: Bruce Davidson

Text: Henry Geldzahler

Publisher: Aperture

83 pages

Pictures: 60

Year: 1986

Comments: Linen hardcover under dust jacket in protective plastic, 305 x 260 mm. First edition, 1986. Text in english. Fresh copy. In very good condition other than a small tear (see picture) and traces of use on the dust cover and weak wear on inside cover.

In 1986, Aperture first published Bruce Davidson’s Subway—which has garnered critical acclaim both as a document of a unique moment in the cultural fabric of New York City, and for its phenomenal use of extremes of color and shadow set against flash-lit skin. In Davidson’s own words, “the people in the subway, their flesh juxtaposed against the graffiti, the penetrating effect of the strobe light itself, and even the hollow darkness of the tunnels, inspired an aesthetic that goes unnoticed by passengers who are trapped underground, hiding behind masks, and closed off from each other.”

Davidson’s text tells the story behind the images, detailing his obsession with the subway, its rhythms, and its particular madness. His naked prose, together with his compelling images, evoke the speeding sensation of a subway car, tunneling out of the darkness into new light and unmistakable beauty.