ASTRID ULLENS DE SCHOOTEN WHETNALL: SAGA

Twenty years ago, almost by chance, Astrid Ullens purchased a photo by Brancusi at the Basel Art Fair. This marked the beginning of an impressive collection that now boasts over 5,000 photos, featuring renowned names like Lewis Baltz, Lee Friedlander, Helen Levitt, and Walker Evans, as well as emerging photographers such as Francesco Neri, Georges Senga, Massao Mascaro, and Tarrah Krajnak.

Ullens, who houses her collection in the Fondation A Stichting in Brussels, is not interested in showpieces. She values the diverse visions and attitudes of the photographers. For her, collecting art is a broader cultural project that promotes photography as a means to view and better understand the world, and importantly, to support the creators, the artists.

This substantial book extensively features 100 photographers with a total of no fewer than 2,000 images. SAGA reads like a fascinating journey through the conceptual documentary photography of the 20th century, showcasing prominent figures as well as many surprises. It represents a generation of photographers who succeeded in providing viewers with a deeper insight into the world, nature, society, and humanity. In an era where we are inundated with a flood of images, often manipulated by artificial intelligence, this is no longer a given.

The book includes numerous texts by art experts such as Urs Stahel (curator), Guy Duplat (journalist), and Xavier Canonne (director of the Musée de la Photographie, Charleroi).

An indispensable book for photography enthusiasts, it is published in conjunction with the exhibition "When Images Learn To Speak" at Les Rencontres d’Arles in the summer of 2024.

- Publisher's statement