MEXIKO/MEXICO: THE DELUXE EDITION

Berlin, Germany: Seltmann + Sohne Publishers, 2011. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. As New/As New Dust Jacket.. Berlin, Germany: Seltmann + Sohne Publishers, 2011. Hardcover. As New/As New. First Edition/First Printing. 80 pages. Collection of color photographs on Mexico. One of Thomas Kellner's finest achievements. Deluxe Edition of 200 numbered and signed copies (and 5 Artist Proofs). Should not be confused with the Limited Edition, which was published simultaneously with it. None of the Deluxe Edition copies was commercially distributed or sold. The Deluxe Edition is now rare. A brilliant production by Thomas Kellner: Oversize-volume format. Pale gray hard boards with titles on cover and spine, as issued. Photographs by Thomas Kellner. Essay by Fernando Castro in the Spanish original with accompanying English and German translations. 8.5 X 11.5 inch original color print laid into the book. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in Berlin, Germany to the highest strandards. In pictorial DJ with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Presents, in its ultimate collectible edition format, Thomas Kellner's "Mexiko". Grid-photographs of Mexico. The project was inspired by Mexican students who submitted designs for Kellner to comment on and judge. The winning artworks are beautifully reproduced in the book. "The grid is one of the most powerful formats available to, yet seldom effectively used by, art photographers. The grid is Modernism itself and resulted in some of the greatest works of art of our time. By discovering the grid, Cubism, De Stijl, Mondrian, and Malevich landed in a place that was out of reach of everything that went before. Which is to say they landed in the Present, and everything else was declared to be the Past" (Paul Wombell). In short, The Grid = The New. What better way to celebrate the cosmopolis that is based on the grid, the city as a work of art, as a modern utopia? Most cities, including the greatest ones, grew organically, the accidental outcome of competing visions and vested interests. Cerebral, rigorous, even severe, grid art remains an acquired taste even for connoisseurs (for being "cold", which ridiculously implies that all art should be "warm"). Kellner's photographs are not just effective use of the grid, but are exceptionally beautiful because they capture the essence of the city. An absolute "must-have" title for Thomas Kellner collectors. This is a copy of the Deluxe Edition. It is very prominently and beautifully signed in black pen-marker on the title page by Thomas Kellner. It also comes with an 8.5 X 11.5 inch original color print that is very prominently and beautifully titled, placed, numbered, and signed in black ink-pen by the artist/photographer on verso: "Thomas Kellner 66#03 Mexico Palacio National 2006 [Number/200 + 5 [Artist Proofs]". The print is a keeper, not a "throwaway". This title is a contemporary art photography classic. As far as we know, this is the only copy of the Deluxe Edition available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: According to Kellner himself, he does NOT do public signings. This copy comes directly from him. Prints by Kellner command thousands of dollars. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with color plates, 1 original color print. One of the most brilliant artist/photographers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER THOMAS KELLNER TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 394283121X.