John Gossage: An Abridged Dictionary of Sculpture

A scrupulously produced artist's book that captures the metaphysical transformation objects undergo when photographed

Published with The Agency, Hudson Valley.

American photographer John Gossage (born 1946) is renowned for his intellectually engaging, subversive and exceptionally crafted artist's books and other publications. An Abridged Dictionary of Sculpture affirms this reputation. Across over 50 black-and-white images, Gossage considers the changes objects undergo when they are photographed. Whether a pile of archive folders, a dirty beaker, a heap of baseball caps, a plank of wood or a tuft of grass, he photographs these objects against the same background of white paper, their shadows often asserting as much presence as their concrete forms. With so much of the objects unclear (their volume, scale, weight, three-dimensionality), and each having lost its original purpose, Gossage questions how much of the sculpture's essence has been preserved in his photographs. Positioned as a dictionary of sorts, this book describes the sculptures rather than embodying them.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3969995264
• ISBN13: 9783969995266
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Steidl
• Length: 120 Pages