1970–1980

The return of an out-of-print cult classic

The book is a reprint of the original 1980 publication of the Swiss artist and photographer. With only full-bleed black and white images organized in visual sequences, the first publication suddenly brought Pfeiffer’s Polaroids to the public’s attention and became a sort of underground icon, flirting with gay subculture and what later became a mainstream style of magazine photography.

“In his earliest work Pfeiffer can be seen in relation to Larry Clark, as a photographer who not only captures but implicates himself in the restless ’70s, and yet Pfeiffer’s irreverent sense of humor sets him apart [ … ] Walter Pfeiffer’s work both anticipated and paralleled that of the ’80s photographers and, in so doing, looked ahead to much of what followed. So it would be possible to see his pictures laid end to end as a secret thread to the present.”—Bob Nickas (Artforum)

“Le livre culte et introuvable est réédité … ” —Têtu

“A visual aesthetic developed in the ’70s which became common language in the art world … ” —Self Service

“Une œuvre méconnue et pourtant voisine de celle de Larry Clark … ” —Les Inrockuptibles

“Vorläufer und Kult” —Aargauer Zeitung