Share this

We use cookies and various other bits of data to improve photobite.uk. learn more about our privacy and cookies policy

Book Review: Sergio Larrain’s Valparaiso

- 7 years ago

This is the first publication in English of Sergio Larrain’s much-prized book Valparaíso

The Chilean photographer [1931–2012] published very few books during his lifetime, but perhaps the most revered among them was Sergio Larrain’s Valparaíso. He photographed this Chilean seaport throughout his career, but it was in the early 1960s, when he returned to his homeland after travelling the world for many years as a Magnum photographer, that it became a focus for his attention.

He saw it as ‘a rather sordid yet romantic city’, standing between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, falling into a slow decline as its trading importance faded away, yet still retaining hints of beauty and magic.published in English for the first time with an introduction by Agnès Sire as well as a specially written text by Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, this new edition of Sergio Larrain’s Valparaíso,

published by Thames & Hudson, is based on a layout that Larrain designed in 1993, in response to the original French edition of 1991. It also includes a selection of previously unpublished photographs taken between 1952 and 1992, expanding the original 36 images to a total of 120.

It also includes a selection of previously unpublished photographs taken between 1952 and 1992, expanding the original 36 images to a total of 120. Sergio Larrain’s Valparaíso also features handwritten notes and texts by the artist himself, allowing us to share his singular vision of the world and its moments of grace.

Sergio Larrain’s Valparaíso ISBN 9780500544808 Published by Thames & Hudson 23.50 x 16.50 cm Hardback with printed cloth 210pp Illustrated in black and white throughout £40.00

About the author

Read Book Review: Sergio Larrain’s Valparaiso

Simon Skinner

Co-founder // Editor

Having spent many years working in various pockets of the music industry, and always with a camera in hand, Simon has worked with organisations such as Warner/Chappell, Food Records and ultimately, co-founding the innovative independent record label, Izumi Records before moving fully into the world of publishing in 2007. Amongst numerous other projects in the last decade, he has been responsible for a number of specialist photo trade magazines and journals for the filmmaking and photography communities, along with a coffee table book entitled, "Great Britons of Photography' which he produced with Peter Dench and Leica. Now heading up PhotoBite, Simon and the team have set themselves a task of delivering informative and inspirational content for photographers of all levels, from the beginner, shooting with smartphones, to the seasoned photographer and filmmaker.