Fernandez, Benedict J. Protest Photographs, 1963-1995 by Benedict J. Fernandez.

Editions Stemmle, 1996. [Subjects of photographs include Martin Luther King; Daytona Beach; Puerto Rico; Bikers; China; Japan; Moscow; London.] New, mint copy in original shrink wrap, hardcover with dust jacket.  Summary:

Protest: Photographs 1963–1995 (published in 1996/1997 by Edition Stemmle) is a 135-page photobook and exhibition catalogue documenting over three decades of social justice and political movements captured by American documentary photographer Benedict J. Fernandez. Published in conjunction with the traveling European retrospective I AM A MAN, the volume serves as a comprehensive record of American dissent.

Key Details & Summary

• Scope & Subjects: The volume gathers Fernandez's extensive black-and-white photojournalism covering pivotal 1960s and post-Vietnam era protest movements. Key subjects include the Civil Rights Movement, the Poor People's Campaign, anti–Vietnam War rallies, draft-card burnings, and labor demonstrations.

• Historic Moments & Access: Highlights landmark images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., capturing both public speeches and intimate family moments shortly before King's assassination in 1968, alongside coverage of the 1967 Newark riots and urban activism.

• Photographic Approach: Reflects Fernandez’s self-described role as a "photo-anthropologist" and surrogate activist, utilizing a direct, empathetic street-level perspective to record citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.

• Textual Contributions: Includes introductory essays and critical commentary by scholars and art historians including Brigitte Buberl, Christiane Gehner, Fritz L. Gruber, Klaus Harpprecht, Gerald Koeniger, Ellen Maurer, and Karl Steinorth.

Biographical Summary: Benedict J. Fernandez

Benedict Joseph Fernandez III (1936–2021) was an influential American documentary photographer, educator, and activist recognized for his empathetic coverage of American civil rights and anti-war movements. Raised in East Harlem, New York, by a Puerto Rican father and an Italian-American mother, he worked as a crane operator at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Bethlehem Steel before pursuing photography full-time in 1963 following the closure of the shipyard. Under the mentorship of legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch at the Design Laboratory, Fernandez developed his visual craft and went on to establish the Photo Film Workshop to teach photography to underprivileged youth. He became a foundational figure at the Parsons School of Design, where he founded and chaired the photography department, hiring acclaimed photographers such as Lisette Model and Diane Arbus as faculty. Known for his intimate access to figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to recording social change through his camera lens, Fernandez received numerous accolades throughout his career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship (1970), a Senior Fulbright Research Fellowship (1992), and a Senior Fellowship at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.