by Errol Morris
First published 2022
This comprehensive survey presents over twenty years of Rosamond Purcell's photographic work, created to accompany her major retrospective at the Addison Gallery of American Art. Born in 1942, Purcell creates photographs that find beauty in unexpected places, from natural specimens to forgotten objects. Her work spans from the late 1960s to today and includes large-format Polaroid prints, assemblages, collages, and installations. Purcell rescues discarded items from obscurity and transforms them into art that explores where science meets creativity. The book features more than 150 illustrations that demonstrate how her empathetic vision reveals connections between the unsettling and the sublime, the beautiful and the bizarre, the natural and the manufactured. Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris and writer Christoph Irmscher contribute critical essays, while an interview between Purcell and contemporary artist Mark Dion provides insight into her creative process. This volume examines how Purcell's multifaceted approach challenges traditional boundaries between art and science, offering readers a fresh perspective on a remarkable career that transforms the overlooked into the extraordinary.
Genres: biography, science, art, non-fiction, photography
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: creative-process, interdisciplinary, transformation
Setting: Addison Gallery of American Art
Period: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s
208 pages · Hardcover · Rizzoli Electa