Inez van Lamsweerde & Vindooh Matadin: Pretty Much Everything

A three-headed Lady Gaga, Vivienne Westwood wearing a shopping bag as a head scarf, a bearded Björk peering out from a sea of hair. This wondrous retrospective presents over two decades of witty, glamorous, and subversive images by Dutch photography duo van Lamsweerde and Matadin, well-known for their ad campaigns (Balenciaga, Chloe, Miu Miu, Yohji Yamamoto) and editorial work (The Face, V Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Times Magazine, and Purple). This affordable version of the previously published $700 limited edition comes in a slipcase decorated with the married duo kissing—van Lamsweerde in swirling red body paint, Matadin dressed—and includes a poster with stickers for readers to personalize their covers. The superbly designed volume is the work of the duo’s frequent collaborators M/M (Paris), the art and design partnership of Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzalag. As O’Brien (How to Be a Man) explains in his incisive concluding essay, “Beyond Realism,” van Lamsweerde and Matadin are celebrated for their sly use of post-production computer effects, which “change the body… almost as practitioners of science fiction,” though the highlights here turn out to be their inquisitive, thrillingly alive portraits. The book will take pride of place in the collections of any fan of fashion and art photography. Illus. Agent: Trunk Archive. (Nov.)