Paul Strand: Tir A’Mhurain

Paul Strand is one of those photographers who have established not just a body of work but a way of seeing. His prints encourage the eye to take an apparently endless journey. --"The Times Literary Supplement"
In 1954 Paul Strand and his wife Hazel spent three months traversing the rugged island of South Uist, off the west coast of Scotland. "Tir a'Mhurain" reflects the impressions they gathered during their stay. Juxtaposing people and landscape, Strand's photographs depict the perfect complicity he saw between nature and habitation in this wild terrain. Whether they are of rocks and sea or a grinning shepherd boy, scudding clouds hanging over seaside houses or the wrinkled face of an old lady, Strand's images capture the essence and complexity of a singular place.
This new edition of "Tir a'Mhurain," which includes rare images never before published, is a true masterpiece of photography. In the spirit of the Aperture editions of Strand's classic works "La France de Profil" (2001) and "Un Paese" (1997), this volume celebrates the beauty of everyday life.

Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 128
Publication date: 2005-06-15
Measurements: 9.78 x 11.64 x 0.72 inches
ISBN: 9780893819934

“Paul Strand is one of those photographers who have established not just a body of work but a way of seeing. His prints encourage the eye to take an apparently endless journey.”–“The Times Literary Supplement”

Paul Strand was born in New York City in 1890. He began photographing at the age of eighteen while a student at the Ethical Culture High School. His early association with Alfred Stieglitz and the artists who were exhibiting at the 291 gallery determined his lifelong devotion to photography. An acknowledged artist of still photography, in 1921 he turned to film. In 1945 the Museum of Modern Art devoted its first one person photography exhibit to Strand’s work. Two years later he collaborated with Nancy Newhall on a project that was published as Time in New England, the first of Strand’s innovative photographic books. It was followed by La France de Profil, Un Paese, Tir A’Mhurain. In 1967, he was awarded the David Octavius Hill Medal. Strand died in Orgeval, France in 1976. In 1990, he was the subject of an internationally touring retrospective that opened at the National Gallery in Washington D.C. In 1997, The Metropolitan Museum of Art mounted a major exhibition, Paul Strand: Circa 1916. Strand’s work is represented in museums and private collections throughout them world.
Catherine Duncan met Paul and Hazel Strand soon after their arrival in Paris, in 1950. During the latter years of their friendship she worked closely with Strand on texts for his books and portfolios. Duncan lives in Paris, where she directs workshops on collage for the French Department of Education. She has published plays and essays, and “The Grandmother’s Book, “for children.
Basil Davidson was born in 1914 in Bristol, England. From 1931-1939 he wrote for The Economist and served in the British Army as a Lieutenant Colonel during World War II. He is the author of over thirty books on Africa including The Lost Cities of Africa which won the Anisfield-Wolf award (1960). He is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees and is widely acclaimed for having significantly contributed to changing Western attitudes towards African history and culture.