Publication Date: October 2009

Contact: Alexander Galan
212­627­1999 x211
agalan@dapinc.com

Elizabeth Heyert
THE NARCISSISTS
Interview by Stacey D'Erasmo

Published by Sei Swann

Inspired by the myth of Narcissus and Warhol's Screen Tests, Heyert presents a body of modern portraiture shot through a one­way mirror that challenges Avedon's notion of the photographic portrait as a relationship
between two people. This book completes a trilogy that includes her previous books THE SLEEPERS and
THE TRAVELERS.

Best known for her controversial 2005 postmortem portrait series THE TRAVELERS, which The New York Times called "a peek... at the vibrant, living face beneath the mask of death," the former architectural photographer Elizabeth Heyert resumes her role as observer and voyeur in this fascinating third volume, THE NARCISSISTS. Inspired by the myth of Narcissus, and as a challenge to the Avedon idea that a photograph is about a relationship between two people, Heyert takes us through the looking glass, capturing her subjects unaware through a one­ way mirror in a series of 15­minute photo­ sessions. The volume includes 24 of those color portraits­­ a 12 year­old beauty queen dressed as Barbie, an aging male bodybuilder, a bejeweled socialite and a Marilyn Monroe look­alike, among them­­ caught gazing into their own eyes. This book's design, created by the Amsterdam­ based studio Featuring, hinges on Heyert's use of candid triptych close­ups of each portrait, presented in three­ panel gatefolds, which reveal subtle inconsistencies amidst the cosmetic perfection of her subjects.

Elizabeth Heyert's passion for photography took hold when she 16. It led her to the Royal College of Art in London, where she studied with Bill Brandt, and back to New York where she wrote her first photography book, and established a thriving commercial photography business. She is the author of numerous books of and about photography including THE GLASS­HOUSE YEARS, a history of 19th century portrait photography, METROPOLITAN PLACES, one of the classic anthologies of 20th century interior design, which she wrote and photographed, and the award winning photography book from her series, THE TRAVELERS. Recently she has captured the attention of the art world with a photographic trilogy of experimental portraits, THE SLEEPERS, THE TRAVELERS, and THE NARCISSISTS. Heyert is represented by Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York.

Elizabeth Heyert: The Narcissists (published by Sei Swann)
US $ 60.00 CAN $72.00 | ISBN: 9780615280127
Clothbound, 10.75 x 13.75 in. | 124 pgs | 81 color.
Distributed by D.A.P. | www.artbook.com