Bernhard, Ruth – Art Books, Monographs and Biographies

Bernhard, Ruth

Collecting Light: The Photographs of Ruth Bernhard
Carmel, California, USA: The Friends of Photography 1979

Gift of the Commonplace
Carmel Valley, CA: Woodrose Publications / Center for Photographic Art, 1996
ISBN: 0963039350

Recollections: Ten Women of Photography
New York: Viking, 1979

Ruth Bernhard: Between Art and Life
San Francisco: Cronicle Books, 2000
ISBN: 0811821919
Queertheory.com: “Hailed by Ansel Adams as “the greatest photographer of the nude,” Ruth Bernhard is an icon in the photographic world. As told by Ruth in countless conversations with close friend and biographer Margaretta Mitchell, this thoughtful, illustrated memoir is a true tribute to the legendary artist. Reminiscent of a personal scrapbook, the engaging text is adorned with an abundance of fascinating memorabilia and nostalgic snapshots. Woven throughout is correspondence between Ruth and her mentor Edward Weston, as well as interviews with friends, colleagues, students, and her long-time printer. Also included is a special section entitled “Workshop,” which surveys Ruth’s acclaimed teaching methods. Coinciding with an exhibition in honor of Ruth’s 95th birthday, Ruth Bernhard: Between Life and Art is a beautiful celebration of an extraordinary woman.”

The Eternal Body: A Collection of Fifty Nudes
Essay by Margaretta K. Mitchell
Carmel, CA: Photography West Graphics, 1986
San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1994
ISBN: 0811808262
Womeninphotography.org: “The Eternal Body was the first collection of Bernhard’s forty year study of the nude to be presented in a single, elegantly bound monograph. by Ruth Bernhard (Photographer), Margaretta K. Mitchell.
The photographs selected, many of which have never been exhibited, unveil the true range of her feminine genius. Bernhard’s intense, studied camera work had produced images of he human form that clearly transcend the boundaries between the spirit and the flash. This collection expresses her lifelong passion to understand the effects of light on the body and to reveal it in its purest form.”

NB! The fact that an artist is mentioned in Feminine Moments’ bibliography it is of course no guaranty that she will be lesbian, bisexual or queer tomorrow, nor that the authors of the above books are “out and proud” in their writings…