07/13/12 - 0 Comments
Assouline and Jean-Michel Berts Shed Light on London
In a year, when we have been bombarded with more patriotic (read clichéd) images of Britain, it’s going to take a really good photograph to stand out from the rest. Enter The Light of London, a collection of atmospheric images of the capital taken by esteemed photographer Jean-Michel Berts.
Beginning his career at the tender age of 16, Berts has worked on campaigns for luxury brands like Hermés, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. He is renowned for his sensitive approach to the effects of light. The Light of Series, which has featured destinations such as Istanbul, Venice, Tokyo, Paris and New York, is a testament to this.
The Light of London, the latest installment in the series, features photographs taken during dawn and dusk, with the aim of capturing the subtleties and richness of the city. The result is a set of incredibly powerful images that showcase the capital’s smorgasbord of architecture and offer an insight into its illustrious history. Berts’ shots of iconic British buildings, such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, London Eye and Harrods, capture these landmarks from an original and stirring perspective.
A foreword by British historian John Julius Norwich, the author of A History of Venice, Byzantium: The Early Centuries and The Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean, provides the ideal accompaniment to Berts’ photographs. As the chairman emeritus of the World Monuments Fund in Britain and a former member of the executive committee of the the National Trust, Norwich is a longstanding expert in British architecture and his text serves as the perfect backdrop to The Light of London series.
Published by Assouline, which specializes in luxuriously crafted, visually dominant books on art, fashion and history, Berts’ The Light of London is an original, thought-provoking tome for patriots, anglophiles and photography lovers alike.
The Light of London is available for purchase in Assouline stores worldwide and through www.assouline.com, priced at $65
