122 Farve fotografier. 122 Colour Photographs.

An attempt to explore the formal possibilities of colour photography

First edition of this early attempt to explore the formal possibilities of colour photography. Keld Helmer-Petersen writes of his attempt 'to create pictures of somewhat greater aesthetic value than that usually aimed at by colour photographers… my aim was to achieve something rather different to the mere reproduction of situations and events, which is often considered to be the main concern of photography. Instead I have tried to use the camera as an instrument for a kind of artistic expression on a level with other branches of art, but with a style of its own, limited as it is by its strong dependence on external reality… I present this collection of pictures to the public well aware that at the moment a purely aesthetic outlook in the field of photography is subject to strong denunciation. It seems to be a prevalent attitude to exclude photography from experiments in form and to limit its scope to documentary and vivid themes, while omitting the abstract and sophisticated.'

After the publication of this book, a portfolio of his work was presented in Life magazine. In 1950, he moved to the United States on a scholarship and taught briefly at the Chicago Institute of Design with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind.

First edition; 4to (338 x 246 mm); colour photographs; plain endpapers, binders glue visible at gutter as often, light blue paper-covered boards, white spine with titles in light blue, dust-jacket printed in black and red, light toning and spotting, light wear, light scratching, publisher's cardboard slipcase, an excellent copy; [132]pp.

The Photobook: A History Vol. I p203; 802 Books from the Collection of M + M Auer p331; Errata Editions as Book on Books #14.