Book Review: William Klein - YES
© William Klein
Dorothy McGowan + White Light Stripes, for Vogue, 1962
Written by Nina Rivera
Photo Edited by Alanna Reid
It is often difficult to learn a skill and harness it to the best of one’s ability, nevertheless skillfully dominate several incredible talents at once. While seemingly impossible, the renaissance man William Klein has been revered as one of the most influential image makers of the 20th century and placed his definitive mark on the worlds of photography, filmmaking, painting, graphic design, and book making.
© William Klein
Cineposter, Tokyo, 1961
William Klein: YES is the artist’s final book created during his illustrious career and lifetime. 300 pages purposely curated by Klein encapsulate his diverse storyline as a multidisciplinary artist and the feats he accomplished over the 70 years of his creative life. Every minute detail was handled by Klein himself and showcases the unrelenting spirit of someone comfortable marching to the beat of his own drum. Viewing his legacy in a singular book makes it quite clear how significant his work has been for contemporary artists across all fields.
Made in accompaniment to William Klein: YES, an incredible retrospective held at the International Center of Photography, the book demonstrates the true scope of Klein’s artistic practices from his vivid, abstract paintings all the way to his particular filmmaking style. Featured are works from his past acclaimed photobooks such as Life is Good and Good For You in New York and Tokyo, as well as stunning arrangements of his editorial work with Vogue and other fashion photo shoots he worked on in his professional career. His street-life photography within the major cities of the world are maximalist and courageous. Text written by David Campany is intersped through the chronological chapters of the book, highlighting the innovative mind of Klein for those that are long-time admirers and coloring Klein’s prolific art-making with intuitive insight for viewers newly introduced.
© William Klein
Moving Diamonds, c. 1952
What makes Klein’s work so arresting is arguably the abstractions he creates for and in tandem with his imagery. Utilizing paintings of layered and fractured lettering in his graphic design choices transformed his bookmaking process and his presentations of visual media for the rest of time. Klein was certain that a photobook should never feel unimaginative or overtly academic. Flipping through pages of YES succeeds in the complete opposite– not a single moment is unaccounted for on the printed page. There are spreads with over 15 images combined on one side with satirical catalogs on the other or graphic strips and shapes bleeding over one another. Klein’s dadaist approach is multiplied infinitely, creating an avant-garde dreamscape unlike any contemporary artist’s collection.
© William Klein
Gun 1, 103rd Street, New York, 1954
With no formal training in photography, Klein managed to use his unfamiliarity with the medium to his advantage, unafraid of breaking down boundaries and traditions instilled in the form. His most striking photographs are those of monochrome New York and its communities. With the true soul of an image maker, Klein initiates movement and follows it. Each figure present becomes their own individual and simultaneously a character from our own lives in front of his camera lens. Viewers become privy to a barbershop full of men, children playing with Halloween masks on the street, and couples lounging on the beach. They are vivacious and tell singular stories somehow still reflective of our own.
Klein’s fearlessness and ingenuity are what set him apart from other prolific photographers of the time. With ideas of experimentation always ready at his fingertips, William Klein was able to define close to a century’s worth of life without falling stagnant. His work comes full circle in William Klein: YES as a true testament to what it means to think outside of the box.
© William Klein
Yoshimura practices trombone in Shinohara’s grandmother’s house, Tokyo, 1961
