This collection of meticulously composed duotone images of actors, musicians, and artists spans the German photographer’s entire 30-year career and offers a rich sampling of his genius for staging, composition, and portraiture.

Whether he’s capturing Cate Blanchett in a pensive moment, going one-on-one with Iggy Pop, gazing into the eyes of Don Cheadle, or visiting Julian Schnabel in his studio, Olaf Heine has a talent for making larger-than-life subjects appear, sensitive, vulnerable, and approachable. The career-spanning monograph ‚Human Conditions‘  features nearly one hundred of Heine’s signature portraits celebrating the artistic process and the inspirations behind it. Printed in brilliant duotone on coated matte paper, each image is presented on its own page, allowing viewers the pleasure of lingering over the features that characterize a Heine photo: rich and varied tones, clean lines, subtle humor and pathos, and classically informed composition. Accompanying the images are essays, quotes and poems from some of the subjects, affording a nuanced glimpse into the ongoing dialog between the gazer and the gazed-upon. 

Published by Prestel/Random House. Exhibition at Camera Work Berlin November 26th – February 4th

More information:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.de/Buch/Olaf-Heine-Human-Conditions/Laura-Helena-Wurth/Prestel/e605510.rhd

https://camerawork.de/en/olaf-heine-human-conditions/