War, Myth, Desire (Collector’s Box)

Since the mid-1970s, David Levinthal (b. 1949) has been exploring the relationship between photographic imagery and the fantasies, myths, events, and characters that shape contemporary America’s mental landscape. War, Myth, Desire is the most comprehensive publication ever produced on the artist. Lavishly illustrated, the four-volume collector’s box set contains three books of plates from all of Levinthal’s major series to date – including Hitler Moves East (1972 – 1975), Modern Romance (1983 – 1985), Wild West (1986 – 2012), Desire (1991 – 1992), Blackface (1995 – 1998), Barbie (1997 – 1998), Baseball (1998 – 2004), and History (2010 – 2016) – in addition to never-before-published works. The plate volumes present the photographs organized in three overarching themes, with introductory texts by Garry Trudeau (War), David Levinthal (Myth), and Roger Rosenblatt (Desire). The essay volume contains major contributions to scholarship on the artist by curator Lisa Hostetler and contemporary art specialist Joanna Marsh, as well as commentary by art critic Dave Hickey.