Thought pieces
Subtitle: 1970s photographs by Lew Thomas, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Hal Fischer
By: edited by Erin O'Toole
Contributors: Thomas, Lew; Phillips, Donna-Lee; Fischer, Hal, 1950-; Katzman, Louise, 1949- interviewer; Thomas, Lew, artist, photographer, interviewee; Phillips, Donna-Lee, artist, photographer; Fischer, Hal, 1950- artist, photographer, interviewee; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Mack
Published: 2020
Place of publication: London]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 212
ISBN-13: 9781912339631
Copyright date: 2020
Subjects: Artistic Photography; Exhibitions; Literature and photography; Photography; Interviews; Photograph collections; Fotografie; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Other titles: Thought pieces :; 1970s photographs by Lew Thomas, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Hal Fischer
Description: In the early 1970s, Lew Thomas set out to disrupt photography in San Francisco. Tired of the mystical thinking and emotionalism that had underscored Bay Area photography since the 1940s, Thomas pursued a photographic practice grounded in ideas gleaned from conceptual art and Structuralist philosophy. A cohort of other photographers, including Donna-Lee Phillips and Hal Fischer, embraced Thomas' mission, joining him in what became known as the 'Photography and Language' movement, named after a book and group exhibition of the same title produced by Thomas in 1976. Thomas, Phillips and Fischer were all extremely active in the mid to late 1970s. In addition to making their own artwork, they published essays, reviewed shows and organized exhibitions. Under the name NFS Press, Thomas published a number of books designed by Phillips, including 'Structural(ism) and Photography' (1978), which featured Thomas' work; 'Eros and Photography' (1977), which was edited by Phillips, and two books of Fischer's work: 'Gay Semiotics' (1978) and '18th Near Castro Street x 24' (1979). This volume assesses their work, their relationship to one another and their place in the history of photography in the 1970s.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, January 4 to August 9, 2020.
Table of contents: title: Photography and language  -- Erin O'Toole; title: Lew Thomas --; title: In conversation: Lew Thomas and Louise Katzman (1981) --; title: Donna-Lee Phillips --; title: Hal Fischer --; title: In conversation: Hal Fischer and Louise Katzman (1981) --; title: Into the fray  -- Hal Fischer; title: NFS Press --; title: Photography and Language --; title: Eros and photography --; title: Gay semiotics --; title: 18th near Castro St. x 24 --; title: Structural(ism) and photography --; title: Still photography: the problematic model.