Theaters by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Deluxe Limited Edition with Signed Photogravure

Theaters by Hiroshi Sugimoto

Deluxe Limited Edition, 2000, Number 929 of 1000

Includes Photogravure Print Signed and Numbered by Hiroshi Sugimoto

MINT Condition – Still in Publisher’s Original Shipping Carton

This is a rare deluxe limited first edition, first printing of the critically acclaimed “Theaters” published by Sonnabend Sundell Editions and eyestorm, in 2000 with a limitation of 1000 of which this is number 929 with a signed hand-pulled photogravure. The book presents Sugimoto's serial views of the interiors of cinemas, the images taken from the projection room, with exposures set to the duration of the films. The resulting images, rich in tone, feature a blank screen (the result of the long exposures) with occasional visible figures. The design of the book - like that for Time Exposed - is by Matsumoto Takaaki. The book also includes a critical essay by Professor Hans Belting. From the publisher, “This book is the first-ever [major] collection of Hiroshi Sugimoto's 'Theater' photographs. To create each image, Sugimoto would take a long-exposure photograph of a cinema screen for the entire duration of a movie, resulting in a blank white screen. 'Different movies give different brightnesses,' he said. 'If it's an optimistic story, I usually end up with a bright screen; if it's a sad story, it's a dark screen. Occult movie? Very dark.' The project was partly the result of wanting to make a simple form visible: 'The simplest forms have authority, like a blank white light. And how do you photograph that? You need a framework to make it visible. But this is not simply white light; it is the result of too much information.”

Containing 96 stunning quadratone plates, the book measures approximately 12” x 11”. The books cover was silk-screened with Day-Glo ink and then matte film laminated. The book was Smythsewn bound and is enclosed in a specially designed brushed aluminum slipcase. The design and reproductions are absolutely exquisite and it is one of the most beautiful photography books ever produced. 

This deluxe limited edition is accompanied by a limited edition of Hiroshi Sugimoto's 'U.A. Walker, New York, 1978 photograph, scrupulously reproduced in hand-pulled photogravure by the renowned printer Jon Goodman. The prints were signed by Sugimoto (the book is not numbered or signed), and are cased in a custom-made, piano hinged, brushed aluminum box (the edition number 929 is hand-written on a printed paper paste-down sheet affixed inside the upper aluminum case cover). The image (approximately 11.5” by 17.5”) was printed on acid-free BFA paper (21.5” x 17.5”).

The condition of the book and print are MINT and still in the original publishers packaging. Please not that the photographs that appear below are stock photographs of the book and print. Rather than open the packaging I utilized stock photographs.

Cited in both the “The Photobook: A History” by Parr & Badger and “The Open Book” by Andrew Roth.

Stock photographs of the signed photogravure as well as several photographs contained in the book appear below. Please note that although the photographs appear digitized as thumbnails, they are viewable in the photo viewer by running your mouse over the thumbnail. You can also click on the thumbnail to open a separate window where the pictures are viewable as a slideshow.