William Gedney: Only the Lonely, 1955–1984
By Gilles Mora, Lisa McCarty, and Margaret Sartor
The University of Texas Press & Editions Hazan, 2017
Hardcover | 10.5 x 9.5 inches | 160 pages
“William Gedney Only the Lonely, 1955-1984…depicts a photographer emerging from the grand American documentary tradition…and gradually finding his own identity, as well as a meticulous craftsman and record- keeper.” —Luc Sante, The New York Times
“The most revelatory chapter in Only the Lonely is devoted to the seven hand-crafted photobooks that Gedney made but never sought a publisher for…Each book is beautifully designed and printed, and it seems extraordinary that none of them were published.” —Sean O’Hagan, The Guardian
Mysterious, introspective, fiercely private, and self-taught, street photographer William Gedney (1932–1989) produced impressive series of images focused on people whose lives were overlooked, hidden, or reduced to stereotypes. He was convinced that photography was a means of expression as efficient as literature, and his images were accompanied by writings, essays, excerpts from books, and aphorisms. Gedney avoided self-promotion, and his underrepresented work was largely unknown during his short lifetime. He died at the age of fifty-six from AIDS
The first book on photographer William Gedney in nearly twenty years, this volume offers the only comprehensive survey of his work and was published on the occasion of the first retrospective exhibition of his work at Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier, France curated by Gilles Mora.
