Best Photobooks of 2020

As 2020 draws to a close, Vogue Italia asked 25 friends, collaborators, and photography experts to reveal their favorite photobook from this year.

While we are aware that these are just some of the many interesting titles released this year, we are amazed at the variety and quality of the books that have been nominated. Even though this has been an unprecedented year, the publishing industry and the creativity connected with it have not stopped and this is the proof.

Have a look at the list of the best photobooks of 2020!

Conversations at the End of the Universe by Augustine Paredes
Nominated by Tasneem Alsultan, Investigative Writer/Photographer

“Conversations at the End of the Universe starts with a celebration and continues to celebrate as the world burns, and then gently, tenderly ends with a reminder—to take care.
Augustine Paredes’s self published book was my favourite this year, as it’s great to see artists taking matters into their own hands. Very rare here but growing as a phenomena. Conversations at the end of the universe is a timely read as it brings forward the emotions about these uncertain times, as told through a personal account of Augustine’s love, loss, and longing.”

Woman Go No´Gree by Gloria Oyarzabal
Published by Editorial RM
Nominated by Damarice Amao, Art historian (PhD) and assistant curator of photography at the Centre Pompidou, Paris

“I vote for the Gloria Oyarzabal’s publication. The layout and the brilliant, inventive, almost unsettling graphic design are perfectly fitting the book’s purpose. Oyarzabal manages to challenge and tackle the viewer’s prejudices with a beautifully designed and throughout well thought book. I’d also like to add a special mention for the book Jardín de mi padre by Luis Carlos Tovar, published by Editorial RM.”

Some of You Killed Luisa by Valeria Cherchi
Published by The Eriskay Connection
Nominated by Simon Baker, Director of La Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP)

“If we are truly honest with ourselves, it’s not often that we read ALL of the texts in photobooks. Sometimes, in fact, when I am writing essays that are destined for photobooks I have the feeling that they are destined to be hidden in the most perfect places, and will probably never be found, much less read. But in collaboration with Federica Chiocchetti (Photocaptionist), and graphic designer Fabian Bremer, Valeria Cherchi has made not only one of the best books of the year, but one in which it is impossible not to want to read every word. The last time I remember doing this – reading the complete text of a photobook from cover to cover immediately, like a page-turner of a novel – was my first encounter with Jim Goldberg’s Raised by Wolves. Cherchi’s book, likewise, is a testament to its author’s long-term dedication and commitment to a subject (in this case abductions in Sardinia). Cherchi is an intelligent, sophisticated story-teller through both text and image and the modest nature of the book itself in no way undermines the ambition and power of the material. Buy it, and read it.” (Text originally appeared on this article, Photobook Store) 

John Cage: A Mycological Foray
Published by Atelier Éditions
Nominated by Chiara Bardelli Nonino, Photo Editor of Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue

I have come to the conclusion that much can be learned about music by devoting oneself to the mushroom.  – JOHN CAGE, 1954

“I have always been interested in other people’s obsession: I could listen for hours to someone talking about something they are insanely passionate about. A Mycological Foray by acclaimed composer John Cage is that kind of experience, in a book form. It has that joyful, excited undertone  and every page exudes a childlike happiness and wonder, with its brilliant mix of photographs, illustrations, diary excerpts and much more. The book really feels like going into a serendipitous mushroom foraging expedition into a fairy forest, and this kind of feeling is really welcome in such a dark, gloomy year.”

Living Trust by Buck Ellison
Published by Loose Joints Publishing
Nominated by Daniel C. Blight, Writer and Researcher

“My favourite book of the year is Living Trust by Buck Ellison, winner of the 2020 Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards.  Google Image search “family portrait”. The algorithm offers us a picture of white familial normativity. Perfect teeth, rose-tinted skin, wavy locks of hair. Race is also a question of class, of course. The same algorithm delivers us a picture of wealth: three of the first ten images in the search return a photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their two young children. Immaculate teeth, snow white skin — human “perfection”. Where does this image come from, why does it appear so avaricious and white, and what happens if we turn it against itself? Buck Ellison flips the antipathy of such an image on its side. His “perfect” family is an image of acknowledgement; one that references a history of art bound to white, upper-class familial representations, from Dutch Golden Age painting to contemporary photographs of monied elites. But it is also an image of critique; one which captures the currency of financial aspiration and success in the present-day West.”  This is an extract from the essay “Perfect White Family”, you can read the complete text here.

Borealis – Trees and people of the northern forest by Jeroen Toirkens & Jelle Brandt Corstius
Published by Uitgeverij Lannoo
Nominated by Lars Boering, Founder and Director of triggertale.com and Former CEO of World Press Photo foundation

“I’m often drawn to books that are the result of a long term project. And I like photography that is about something, not of something. The highlight of 2020 has been the book Borealis by Jeroen Toirkens and writer Jelle Brandt Corstius published by Lannoo. They visited forests in the boreal zone for their Borealis project. And they took their time, making eight trips. Great photography, great text and great editing.”

Thought Pieces: 1970s Photographs by Lew Thomas, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Hal Fischer — edited by Erin O’Toole 
Published by MACK
Nominated by Rica Cerbarano, Vogue Italia Contributor and Freelance Project Coordinator

“Not really a photobook, but rather a book on photography, personally Thought Pieces has been an incredible source of inspiration this year. Through a right balanced combination of images, texts and interviews, the book presents the conceptual artists and photographers Lew Thomas, Donna-Lee Phillips and Hal Fischer, whose work made the history of photography, especially as regards the relation between image and text and the collaborative dimension of artistic production. Conceptual art has shaken up the idea of photography and much of what we take for granted today is due to the work of extraordinary artists such as those presented in this book. That’s why I consider it a little gem for those who are concerned with understanding the photographic language in its complexity and implications.”

Where My Starry Sky Lies by Juliana Jacintho
Published by Fotô Editorial Project
Nominated by Irina Chmyreva, Art Director of PhotoVisa

“The book by Juliana Jacintho is full of a variety of visual and sensual experiences, it has controversial structure and at the same time it has a deep feeling of rhythm, good edition and montage of the images. It is the Winner of the PhotoVisaBook 2020 (its first edition). Here you can see the discussion on the photobooks organized during the festival, which was organized online this year.

A special mention goes to Eder Chiodetto’s project Fotô Editorial. He is a famous Brazilian curator and editor of photography and I heard about this initiative for art book publishing for a few years, but the great performance of Eder’s project during our first contest was really significant: two from three finalists of our contests belonged to artists that collaborated with Fotô Editorial. The project reminds me of Latin America’s great tradition of imaginative libraries described in Jorge Luis Borges books.”

ZAIDO by Yukari Chikura
Published by STEIDL
Nominated by Alfredo De Stefano, Photographer, Founder and Director of Luz del Norte Fotografía 

The Red Flame by Karen Elson
Published by Rizzoli
Nominated by Karen Elson, English supermodel and singer-songwriter

Karen this year published her autobiography, The Red Flame. The imagery is amazingly beautiful and captures the essence of Karen’s beauty inside and out. It’s also refreshing to learn more about Karen, not only as a model, but as a real woman overcoming real issues in society.

Studio Luce by Paolo Roversi
Published by Editions Stromboli
Nominated by Emanuele Farneti, Director of Vogue Italia, L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue.it and Casa Vogue

“It’s like a family album celebrating a homecoming: that of Paolo Roversi, on show in his hometown, Ravenna. Everything in this book conveys emotions: the textured paper, the words floating freely in the beautiful layout designed by MM Paris, the gazes and the glimpses of light in Roversi’s photography. Adding a new chapter to a photographic history as complex as Paolo’s was a true challenge: congratulations to those who succeeded.”

Tree and Soil by Robert Knoth & Antoinette de Jong
Published by Hartmann Books
Nominated by Marcel Feil, Artistic Director at Foam 

Parameters of our Cage by C. Fausto Cabrera & Alec Soth
Published by MACK
Nominated by Shannon Ghannam, Global Education Director at Magnum Photos

“My favourite photo book of 2020, is not actually a book of photographs. It consists mainly of text but I would challenge you to find a more vivid representation of life. In January 2020, Magnum Photographer Alec Soth received a letter from Chris Fausto Cabrera, an inmate of the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Rush City, in which he asked the photographer to engage in a dialogue. The resulting book maps their burgeoning friendship and shared creative enquiry through a series of letters. I am the Global Education Director at Magnum Photos, but I am also a lifelong student of photography, and this book may be one of the most insightful books on photography that I have ever read. So many of the questions I ask myself about photography are discussed through this personal exchange. Why do we take pictures? And against the backdrop of the year that was 2020, what is the role of photography and art in society, in social justice, in healing for individuals and for communities? I hope that someone will read this review and at this time of the year buy it for a loved one with an interest in these things, for it is truly a gift.
All proceeds from this book will be donated to the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.”

The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer by Alessandra Sanguinetti
Published by MACK
Nominated by Alessia Glaviano, Brand Visual Director of Vogue Italia and Director of the Photo Vogue Festival

“So many great books this year I wish I could name them all! If I have to choose one it would be Sanguinetti’s return to rural Argentina to follow the coming of age of Belinda and Guillermina,  two cousins who, as girls, were the subjects of the first book in her ongoing series, The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of Their Dreams.  If  I had to describe it in one word it would be MAGIC.
Sanguinetti’s long term project it’s a delicate and poetic tale of female intimacy and friendship. We fall in love with them as kids in the first book, and it’s a treat to be able to see them growing up, from ages 14 to 24, as they negotiate the fluid territory between adolescence and young adulthood.The rural setting, the animals, the clothes they wear, their unique features, their expressions, the tangible love, all of these elements conjure magically in Sanguinetti’s photographs making it one of my favorite documentary work of all times.”

Tales to Entertain the Dead ; Vol. I / Penis Witch & Lost Lovers by Nehama
Nominated by Willy Ndatira, Designer, creative consultant and owner of William Cult Agency

“My favourite photo book for 2020 is from Nehama, a French artist, born in Casablanca (Morocco). His photo book Penis Witch & Lost Lovers is the first volume of a series of four photo books under the title project Tales To Entertain The Dead. The book is a mix of his photography, collages and his archive of found pamphlets.
My family moved to South Africa after Apartheid and later to Johannesburg, a place which still fascinates me because of its energy, mix of cultures and beliefs. Johannesburg is a place of contrast, from townships to leafy green suburbs punctuated by their shopping centres, the city is designed in a way that one can live in a bubble of privilege. But those who dare to venture out and feel the magic of this old mining town will be rewarded with a special kind of beauty, joy, grief, danger and creativity only found in Johannesburg.
Nehama describes his images as a feeling, created through intuition.The photo book manages to capture some of the magic you will experience if you open yourself up to the city or live there long enough. Johannesburg is a complex place to translate visually and Nehama succeeds very well with this Volume 1. You can follow his project on social media and website.”

Hometown by Joseph Szabo
Published by Damiani
Nominated by Azu Nwagbogu, Founder and Director of the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF)

Flash of Light, Wall of Fire: Japanese Photographs Documenting the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Published by University of Texas Press
Nominated by Fred Ritchin, Dean Emeritus at the ICP

“Responding to an American officer’s request that films of the recent atomic bombings of Japan be handed over to the US authorities, Ihei Kimura is said to have responded: “The films, which represent the work of our photographers, should carry the same weight as the gun which you carry on the right-hand side of your waist. Put your gun on the desk here, then I will bring out all the photo works that our guys have produced. We can then trade those films for your gun.” The American refused, eventually accepting copies of the work instead. Seventy-five years later, an archive of this work by some fifty Japanese photographers showing the gruesome horror caused by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is reproduced in this book. It is a solemn, visceral reminder of what people are capable of doing to one another, and a plea for peace.”

Necessary Fictions by Debi Cornwall
Published by Radius Books
Nominated by Laura Roumanos, Executive Director and Co-founder of Photoville

“So many amazing books to choose from this year and I wish I could name 20, however I would love to highlight Debi Cornwall’s Necessary Fictions, which explores the performance of American power and identity in the post-9/11 era. Made on ten military bases across the United States since 2016, Necessary Fictions documents mock-village landscapes in the fictional country of “Atropia” and its denizens, roleplayers who enact versions of their past or future selves in realistic training scenarios. Costumed Afghan and Iraqi civilians, many of whom have fled war, now recreate it in the service of the U.S. military. Real soldiers pose in front of camouflage backdrops, dressed by Hollywood makeup artists in “moulage”—fake wounds—as they prepare to deploy. Conceptual documentary artist and former civil rights lawyer Debi Cornwall photographs this meta-reality— the artifice of war—presented in the book with a variety of texts to provoke critical inquiry about America’s fantasy industrial complex.”

I Can Make You Feel Good by Tyler Mitchell
Published by Prestel 
Nominated by Antwaun Sargent, Writer and Critic

“Tyler is one of the most important young image makers working right now. His first book is a real exploration of Black youthfulness, informed by Tyler’s utopic visions. It’s a book filled with images that show down the act of looking, allowing for a real consideration of the artist’s concerns and world building.”

If men, then by Eliza Griswold
Published by Macmillan 
Nominated by Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Photographer

“Even if it’s not a photobook, I nominate If men, then by Eliza Griswold – a collection of poems, published this year, about war and calamity. It’s searing and also examines the work of journalists and photojournalists.”

Looking at Photography by Stephen Frailey
Published by Damiani
Nominated by Michael Van Horne, Director of the Image Archive at Art + Commerce

“I have admired Stephen’s perspectives on photography for many years as a teacher and a friend. He speaks and writes about photography clearly and accessibly. Here he shares insights into the work of nearly 100 photographers across many decades and genres of the medium. He writes an efficient primer for becoming acquainted with the artists who have given shape to the history of photography.”

Anaglypta 1980-2020 by Nick Waplington
Published by Setanta Books
Nominated by Ferdinando Verderi, Creative Director of Vogue Italia

“A completely non linear journey of the past 40 years of Nick’s life, or rather of life through the eyes of Nick. From his first camera at 14 years old, to  celebrated museum work, this book criss crosses music, politics, friendships with the wittiness, poetry and poignancy of Nick’s own character as we know it. His beloved drawings couldn’t not be there and infact some of the most limited edition feature an instant hand drawn cover under the sleeve.”

30219 by Li Lang
Published by Jiazazhi
Nominated by He Yining, Curator and Writer

“Between his birth on 3 December 1927 and his death on 27 August 2010, the photographic artist Li Lang’s father spent 30,219 days in the world. In this series of works of the same name, Li Lang took portraits of his father and his objects, and transcribed the seemingly meaningless dates on the photographs. Published as a book ten years after its creation, Li Lang’s 30219 is an aesthetic of pure information value and the emotions carried by photographic imagery that creates a density of life with extreme visual tension between the pages.”

Performance Review by Endia Beal
Published by Minor Matters
Nominated by James Estrin, New York Times Staff Photographer and Writer, and Daniella Zalcman, Documentary Photographer

“Endia Beal’s portraits of black American women who work in the corporate environment are beautifully constructed, employing backdrops of sterile anonymous office spaces. But her handsome book, “Performance Review” is much more than a collection of smart, well made photographs. It is a nuanced and riveting account of the slights, insults and injustices that exist for black women in American workplaces –  told by the women in Ms. Beal has photographed.”
— James Estrin

“Performance Review is the culmination of years of project work from American artist and educator Endia Beal, whose photography regularly examines and interrogates the experience of Black women and women of color in corporate America. The book is equal parts informative, poignant, sardonic, and infuriating — and will encourage anyone who sits down with it to think more deeply about their understanding of race and racism in the workplace.”
— Daniella Zalcman