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Joe Deal

Joe Deal was one of the contributors to the 'New Topographics' show in 1976 curated by William Jenkins - the show that hardly anyone visited but which ultimately impacted the way a whole wide tributary of art photography has looked ever since.  Now I am buying books not dresses I finally ordered one of his books - not that there are many out there.

That 1976 show was held in a room at George Eastman House in Rochester NY.  As a conscientious objector Joe had previously been assigned several years earlier to work there as a janitor and guard.  He 'specialized in depicting how the landscape was transformed by people', though in his case he described his viewpoint as that of a neutral observer rather than a critic.