Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Skira, Milano 2009, pp. 336, € 48,00 / italiano

The work of Thomas Ruff is considered to be a sort of sceptical and critical “metacomment” on the role of the photographic image in contemporary culture. After training at the Dusseldorf Art Academy, Ruff soon turned to highly personal choices of form, with the use of digital manipulation, abstraction and the processing of iconic low-resolution ready-mades. The Castello di Rivoli exhibition catalogue overviews his work. Among the more than 200 photographs selected are the famous Portraits, the cycle of Nights, the Stars and the Nudes, right up to the recent Cycles. Edited by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the catalogue is particularly rich with biographical and bibliographic information. The book also contains essays by Christov-Bakargiev herself, by the last Venice Art Biennale curator Daniel Birnbaum, and by Giorgio Verzotti.