Rudi Thoemmes Launches Foxed Editions For Overlooked Photobooks

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Veteran publisher and bookseller Rudi Thoemmes has established a new imprint, Foxed Editions, alongside Björn Andersson and Jessa Fairbrother. The venture will focus on producing facsimiles of significant historical photobooks that have been overlooked, as well as new publications exploring neglected aspects of photographic history.

Thoemmes has a long career in publishing, including work as an antiquarian bookseller and founding academic publisher Thoemmes Press. He also established RRB Photobooks, which has published photographers such as Markéta Luskačová and Jem Southam. The first releases from Foxed Editions include a new edition of Fred Judge's 1924 work Camera Pictures of London at Night and Thomas Wiegand's 66 Books from East Germany.

Thoemmes views Foxed Editions not as an entirely new endeavor, but rather as a culmination of his diverse experiences. He previously published thousands of reprints related to the history of ideas through Thoemmes Press, consistently prioritizing lesser-known figures and works in his publishing programs.

He explained his approach to identifying books for recovery. His“test case” for Foxed Editions was Trees of Britain and Ireland, an edited volume he published last year. The original, a seven-volume set issued between 1906 and 1913, was largely unknown in the photography world, yet Thoemmes argues for its genuine historical importance.

Regarding East German photobooks, Thoemmes noted their“interesting stories on several different levels,” highlighting their cultural and comparative value to West German books from the same era. He described this area as“uncharted territory that could be explored for very little money.”

Thoemmes clarified that his interest in East German photobooks extends beyond simply recognizing individual talent. While many were commissioned by official institutions, he believes that“within those constraints photographers, designers and editors often produced work of remarkable visual intelligence and subtlety.” He added that the books are compelling precisely because“they are more complex than simple propaganda.”

Camera Pictures of London at Night is presented as an important precursor to well-known works by Harold Burdekin and Bill Brandt. Thoemmes commented on whether Foxed Editions aims to challenge established histories of the photobook that rely on a familiar canon.“'Challenging' is probably too strong. Shifting perspectives? Yes, definitely,” he stated. He added that throughout his career, he has enjoyed“expanding the histories of emerging 'new' subjects and giving attention to important works that have simply been overlooked.”

Source: The Art Newspaper

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