Saint Laurent Exclusive: Mario Sorrenti and John Baldessari Photobook
Only at Saint Laurent’s Paris and Los Angeles locations.
In the winter of 2017 New York’s Half Gallery merged the forces of fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti and conceptual artist John Baldessari in the exhibit “Noses, Elbows, and Knees” – a juncture of talent that would live on for years to come. Today, Saint Laurent continues to celebrate the unlikely partnership, adding their latest opus, a photobook under the same guise: Noses, Elbows, and Knees, to the houses library.
Curated by Neville Wakefield, the book offers a cross-pollination of art and photography, creating an artistic milieu that pivots the standard of beauty and stains societal norms. Sorrenti’s photographs become collaged in blocks of color (Baldessari’s signature) and tonal degradations, deconstructing them into abstract forms rather than the glossy archival shots his portfolio has become synonymous with. Their work unifies seamlessly as it travels the obtuse borders that would otherwise divide them. Baldessari said it best to Interview Magazine’s David Salle, “I could never figure out why photography and art had separate histories.” It’s clear they’ve never been much more than the same.
As of today, the book will be exclusively available for pre-order in Saint Laurent’s Rive Droite Parisian and Los Angeles storefronts, each copy is kitted with a signed certificate of authenticity and retails for €22,000 (approx. $24,000 USD).