Fontcuberta, Joan. Joan Fontcuberta 55.

Phaidon, 2001. Texts by Christian Caujolle. Wraps, stamped "non-mint copy" on title page but like new with no obvious flaws except a few small dots on cover and small crimp on spine. Summary:

Joan Fontcuberta (2001), written and curated by Christian Caujolle, is a pocket-sized monograph published as part of Phaidon Press's 55 series.

Key Details & Summary

• Format & Structure: Following the signature Phaidon 55 concept, the 128-page volume chronologically highlights 55 key photographs representing Catalan conceptual artist and photographer Joan Fontcuberta's career, paired with extended captions and an introductory essay.

• Central Theme: The monograph examines Fontcuberta’s elaborate, satirical visual hoaxes that challenge the traditional assumption that photography provides an objective representation of truth.

• Featured Works: The selection spans his celebrated series—such as Fauna (fabricated taxidermy and fictional zoological discoveries), Sputnik (a fictionalized Soviet space mission), and Herbarium (surreal plant-like sculptures created from urban debris)—which blend fiction with scientific and historical archives.

• Critical Context: Caujolle's commentary frames Fontcuberta within the lineage of Spanish Surrealism and postmodern conceptual art, emphasizing his dual role as an artist, writer, and theorist interrogating the nature of visual belief.

• Joan Fontcuberta (born 1955) is a renowned Catalan conceptual artist, photographer, writer, and curator whose work critically examines truth, illusion, and authority in visual representation. Born in Barcelona, Fontcuberta studied communications at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and initially worked in advertising before turning to artistic practice in the 1970s. Over a prolific multi-decade career, he became widely known for constructing elaborate, humorous, and satirical hoaxes that adopt the formal vernacular of scientific research, museum archives, and news journalism. Notable projects such as Herbarium (1984), Fauna (1987), and Sputnik (1997) fabricate everything from imaginary zoological species to fictional Soviet cosmonauts, directly challenging the viewer’s blind trust in photographic evidence. Beyond his creative work, Fontcuberta is an influential theorist who has published extensively on digital imagery and visual culture, earning prestigious accolades including the David Octavius Hill Medal (1988), the Hasselblad Foundation International Award (2013), and the ICP Infinity Award for Writing (2013).