Distributed for Reaktion Books
The Figure of Christ in Contemporary Photography
In the first book devoted to representations of Jesus Christ in contemporary photography, Nathalie Dietschy presents a rich range of images from the 1980s to the present day. Works by acclaimed artists such as Andres Serrano, Catherine Opie, Wang Qingsong, Joan Fontcuberta, Vanessa Beecroft, David LaChapelle, Renee Cox, and Bettina Rheims offer fresh—and sometimes provocative—depictions of Christ, embodied by a woman, for example, or a person of color, addressing issues from race to sexuality to gender. Stunningly illustrated throughout, The Figure of Christ in Contemporary Photography guides the reader through these alternative representations that often challenge and renew tradition, analyzing the complex social, political, and cultural issues that the photographs bring to light.

Table of Contents
Introduction: Jesus Christ in Non-religious Art
Part One: Revelatory Photographic Developments
1 The Image of Christ in the History of Photography
2 Photography and the vera icon
3 Faces of Man and the Face of God
Part Two: Quotations and Reinterpretations
4 Secular Stagings
5 From Text to Image
Part Three: Identity Claims and Political Statements
6 Self-portraits as Christ
7 A Female Christ
8 A Black Christ
9 Christ and Homosexuality
10 Christ and the Socially Excluded
11 Combining Cultures
Part Four: Provocation and Scandal
12 Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ
13 Renee Cox’s Yo Mama’s Last Supper
14 Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin’s Ecce Homo
Conclusion: Transgression and Reintegration
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Index
Part One: Revelatory Photographic Developments
1 The Image of Christ in the History of Photography
2 Photography and the vera icon
3 Faces of Man and the Face of God
Part Two: Quotations and Reinterpretations
4 Secular Stagings
5 From Text to Image
Part Three: Identity Claims and Political Statements
6 Self-portraits as Christ
7 A Female Christ
8 A Black Christ
9 Christ and Homosexuality
10 Christ and the Socially Excluded
11 Combining Cultures
Part Four: Provocation and Scandal
12 Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ
13 Renee Cox’s Yo Mama’s Last Supper
14 Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin’s Ecce Homo
Conclusion: Transgression and Reintegration
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Index
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