Platon's Republic
'For once, a set of photos worth the cover price. British Vogue awarded him 'Best-Up-And-Coming Photographer' at the tender age of 24 and now we can see why. Over the years, Brit snapper Platon Antoniou has shot everyone, from skinheads in North Carolina and mourners of the victims of September the 11th, to famous actors, politicians, sportsmen, fashion designers and musicians. Now he's put together an eclectic mix of his portraits in this stunning collection. A-list celebrity mugshots include Jude Law, Keanu Reeves, Pamela Anderson and, of course, David Beckham ... Whether you're a budding David Bailey or just appreciate really gorgeous photos, this is definitely one book worth owning.' (Heat Magazine) 'Platon's photos have captured people - famous, infamous, anonymous - in ways that reveal them, in ways that unveil them, in ways that leave them open to entirely new interpretations. It's an odd thing, Platon's photography: He starts out with lives of unimaginable complication and ends up with the simplicity of innocence. He is an artist working in a commercial form and that combination makes him the most distinctive photographer at work today.' (Esquire) 'Intimate anecdotes in the form of ... handwritten notes, ... combined with powerful images, will make you want to give this 'coffee-table' book pride of place in any living room.' (Expresso) 'His work suggests an unusual intimacy.' (GQ) 'Part personal scrapbook, part cultural documentary, the book features the best of Platon's work.' (Mediabistro.com) 'You can almost see the force fields surrounding the cultural icons whose portraits appear in Platon's Republic (Phaidon). Powerful poses and nervy adjacencies (John Kerry, meet Karl Rove) give this book its quick-hit energy, as do raw, emotive images of neo-Nazi skinheads or agonized mourners at Princess Diana's funeral. Among Platon's "Scrapbook notes" are clues about how he got his shots: by manipulating his subjects, but also by succumbing to their will.' (O "The Oprah Magazine") 'Finding unexpected angles has become a specialty for Platon, a young British star of portrait photography. His first book, playfully titled Platon's Republic (Phaidon), is alive with the kind of vitality and freshness that's often missing in the static world of celebrity portraiture.' (Planet) 'A photo book that practically jumps off the coffee table and into your lap.' (Metro, Wednesday)