Editor: Athol McCredie
Publication Date: October 2010
Order online from Te Papa Store.
Comprised of more than 300 superb photographic reproductions and six all-new essays, this publication gives the reader new insights into Brake, the man, and how he saw the world. Remembered for his rare images of communist China in the 1950s and photo essays such as Monsoon, this is the first time Brake’s work has been critically considered in its entirety.
Brian Brake: Lens on the World will accompany a major retrospective Te Papa exhibition that will tour New Zealand in 2011-2013.
View sample pages (1600 KB pdf)
Hear a review by Phil Diamond, National Radio.
Listen to a Radio Live interview with curator and editor Athol McCredie
Watch the TVNZ Close Up interview with author Witi Ihimaera, friend and colleague of Brian Brake.
2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards
Brian Brake: Lens on the World is a finalist in the illustrated non-fiction section of the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards. These awards celebrate excellence, identifying the very best books written by New Zealanders. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 27 July.
2011 Best Design Awards
An initiative of The Designers Institute of New Zealand, The Best Design Awards is the annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product and interactive design. Brian Brake: Lens on the World received a Bronze Award.
Reviews
This is a remarkable book, beautifully produced and meticulously researched to give a careful and fair portrait of the one landmark international photographer this country produced in the 20th century, Brian Brake. Te Papa’s photography curator Athol McCredie is to be congratulated on his careful editorial work and a very good choice of contributors.
…worthy of a craftsman photographer who cared and followed through the nuts-and-bolts side of getting his work to fully express his meaning.
- Max Oettli, New Zealand Books Autumn 2011
“This lavishly illustrated book brings to light [Brake’s] vast body of work, which has never been seen in its entirety until now.”
“Insightful essays examine Brake’s practice from a critical point of view for the first time, peeling back the myths that have accumulated around his name”
“This book offers a much-needed fresh perspective on Brian Brake.”
- Artnews New Zealand, 01-Dec-2010
“Te Papa Press are never one to skimp when it comes to production values, and this is a luscious-looking tome—great design and fantastic reproductions.”
“[T]here’s a greater air of honesty and pleasing inclusion of some less than positive critiques, marking it as a somewhat unusual retrospective.”
- Lumiere, 30 November 2010
NZ RRP (incl. GST): $99.99
Extent: 344 pp
Format: 290 mm x 237 mm
Binding: HB
ISBN: 978-1-877385-64-3