William Klein (Photofile)

William Klein (born 1928) has always moved against the current. A painter, filmmaker, graphic designer and fashion photographer, Klein grew up in New York but has been based in Paris since 1948.

His shots are often intense and immediate, disrupting the established order of things and capturing fragmented snatches of distortion and movement. Although best known for his images of New York in the 1950s, he has also worked in other urban environments, including Tokyo and Moscow, as well as producing a striking series of painted contact sheets.

Throughout his varied body of work, his insatiable desire to confront the chaos of the world shines through. The Photofile series brings together the best work of the world’s greatest photographers, in an affordable pocket format.

Handsome and collectable, the books are produced to the highest standards. Each volume contains some sixty full-page reproductions printed in superb duotone, together with a critical introduction and a full bibliography.

The series has been awarded the first annual prize for distinguished photographic books by the International Center of Photography, New York.