Friedlander’s nudes show every blemish, every contour that makes each body unique, while his flash often serves to counter this realism with a softening effect that often recedes the body’s shadow right up to its outline. With the publication of Friedlander’s nude portraits of Madonna (prints of which fetch huge sums), the series became among the photographer’s best known work, and eventually saw publication in 1991, from Jonathan Cape. Lee Friedlander: The Nudes significantly expands on the Cape edition (itself long out of print), with a total of 84 nudes, plus a new layout and design by Katy Homans and new separations by Thomas Palmer. As such, it offers the most lavish presentation of this key series in Friedlander’s massive oeuvre.
