JEAN-LUC MYLAYNE

Hardbound, 11" x 10¾", 71 pages
120 illustrations
2010, Harry N. Abrams
By Ralph Rugoff and Terrie Sultan

From the Publisher:
“It’s a peculiar and supremely deliberate technique, honed over three decades, and it results in some of the most sumptuous and fresh photographs I’ve ever seen.” –Time Out New York Since 1976, French photographer Jean-Luc Mylayne has travelled the world in search of birds to photograph. His quest begins with a long, patient period of observation and culminates in a single image—Mylane does not believe in capturing his subject twice. In thirty-three years, the artist has taken no more than three hundred photographs. Mylayne, who defines himself as a film director, is extremely precise in constructing what he calls his “scenes,” taking into account a number of variables, like the season or the time of day. Mylayne’s process, the tentative approach of the bird, and the dialogue between artist and subject present thought-provoking questions on the nature of time.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon, France, this mesmerizing book presents a previously unpublished series of 68 photographs taken between 1992 and 2008. With stunning reproductions, Jean-Luc Mylayne is a powerful account of an original and idiosyncratic artist at work.