Claudio Abate. A project by Germano Celant. Ediz. illustrata

The monograph, which Germano Celant worked on before his demise and is published posthumously with an introductory text by Carlos Basualdo, is the first to systematically retrace the life and career of photographer Claudio Abate (Rome, 1943-2017). The book offers a historical and critical reading of Abate’s work, documented through a chronology full of illustrations, unpublished materials, texts and quotations. Abate’s production ranges from photographs of artworks, artists and exhibitions of Arte Povera to shots on the Italian and international exhibition scene, up to photographs on theatre, fashion, costume, current affairs for weeklies and magazines, even experimental photographic artworks. In an all-encompassing vision, Abate puts the photographic medium to the test by adapting it to multiple fields, disciplines, themes and subjects. “You have to enter the works, feel them, make them your own, even love them; if you don't succeed in this, you won’t be able to take any good photograph.” - Claudio Abate