Untitled 23. 9 Critics, 9 Photographs.

Friends of Photography, 1980. Edited by James Alinder. Other authors: Beaumont Newhall; David Featherstone; Robert Baker; John L. Ward; Candida Finkel; James D. Burns; Thomas F. Barrow; Gary Metz. Photographers: Paul Caponigro; Arthur Ollman; Eugene Richards; Evon Streetman; Elieen Berger; Marsha Burns; Robert Fichter; Olivia Parker; Roger Mertin. Fine. Wraps, 48 pages. Fine, like new.

Untitled 23: 9 Critics, 9 Photographs (1980), edited with an introduction by James G. Alinder, is a conceptually unique 48-page monograph published by The Friends of Photography in Carmel, California. Rather than standard, wide-ranging anthologies, this experimental volume functions as a controlled dialogue between image-making and art criticism. The structural design pairs exactly nine prominent photo-critics/historians with nine contemporary photographers, tasking each writer with analyzing a singular, definitive image.

The Structural Pairings

The monograph features a total of 9 plates (4 four-color and 5 black-and-white). Each entry presents the photograph on one side and a dedicated analytical essay on the facing page, breaking down the technical execution, metaphor, and cultural resonance of the image:

1. Beaumont Newhall analyzes Paul Caponigro — Newhall (the legendary founding curator of photography at MOMA) brings a classical, art-historical framework to Caponigro’s mastery over quiet, mystical landscape and stone geometries.

2. David Featherstone analyzes Arthur Ollman — Focuses on Ollman's pioneering use of long-exposure night photography and vibrant, artificial color palettes.

3. Robert Baker analyzes Eugene Richards — Examines Richards’ uncompromising, gritty social-documentary lens, capturing human vulnerability and systemic American realities.

4. John L. Ward analyzes Evon Streetman — Explores Streetman’s multi-layered, mixed-media manipulations that blur the lines between photography and painting.

5. Candida Finkel analyzes Eileen Berger — Delves into Berger's complex, proto-feminist photomontages and non-linear narrative juxtapositions.

6. James D. Burns analyzes Marsha Burns — Unpacks the psychosexual tensions, formal light staging, and identity exploration within Burns' stylized studio nudes and portraits.

7. Thomas F. Barrow analyzes Robert Fichter — Critiques Fichter's chaotic, humorous, and deeply satirical mixed-media and photo-printmaking constructions.

8. Gary Metz analyzes Olivia Parker — Deconstructs Parker’s split-toned, dreamlike still lifes, analyzing how she uses ephemeral organic objects to invoke the historical concept of memento mori.

9. James Alinder analyzes Roger Mertin — Evaluates Mertin's deadpan, structural examinations of ordinary objects and mid-century Americana (such as his famous structural series on plastic Christmas trees).

Significance

Untitled 23 is highly prized as an example of close-reading visual literacy. By strictly limiting the critical arena to one writer per image, James Alinder successfully demonstrated that a single photograph contains an endless depth of narrative and social meaning—simultaneously validating photography criticism as an elite, vital literary genre of modern art history.