Artists and Prostitutes
David LaChapelle

If there was ever a modern photographer whose work could be considered over the top it would most certainly be David LaChapelle. Ranked among the top ten "most important people in photography" by American Photo magazine, LaChapelle has photographed such diverse personalities as Madonna, Lance Armstrong, Pamela Anderson, David Beckham, and Uma Thurman. It should be no surprise to hear that he was offered his first photography gig before he was even out of high school by none other then Andy Warhol himself.

To say that David LaChappelle simply photographs celebrities is a bit of an understatement. The work in Artists and Prostitutes goes well beyond that; playing with our fame obsessed culture and presenting us with iconic stars in situations far beyond anything we have seen them in before. It takes a truly eclectic eye to make an over the top hip-hop star like Eminem seem even more outrageous. Unlike so many other photographers, LaChappelle shows us the faces we all recognize in completely unrecognizable and all together new situations.

David LaChappelle was once described by a writer in New York Magazine as “the Fellini of photography". An appropriate analogy considering his work begs the question as to whether or not celebrity portraits can also act as social commentary. It seems absurd to see the members of The Beastie Boys working behind the counter of a fast food joint, or better yet to see the masculine Mark Wahlberg standing in a closet surrounded by plastic breasts with an almost giddy smile on his face. But there they are.

One can almost think of his work as the celebrity version of Joel-Peter Witkin; only with David LaChappelle you actually have permission to laugh. For LaChappelle, excess is never too much.

Like every other aspect of David LaChapelle’s work, the dimensions of Artists and Prostitutes are an exercise in extravagance. Measuring 34.5 x 50cm which is referred to by Taschen as “XXL Format” the book is limited to just 2,500 copies worldwide. All illustrations are color separated and reproduced in Pan4C, the finest reproduction technique available today, which provides unequalled intensity and color range. Each copy is signed and numbered by David LaChappelle himself.

Hardcover: 688 pages
Publisher: Taschen
Language: English
ISBN: 3822816175