BERNDT, Jerry. Beautiful America.

(Gottingen, Germany): Steidl, 2017. First edition. Small oblong quarto. 215 pages. Berndt documented the period between the 1960s and 1980s in America like no other photographer. By combining photojournalism with documentary and street photography, he succeeded in presenting a unique view of American society over a span of thirty years. Berndt consistently followed political conflict and systematically portrayed the spectrum of American people and urban landscapes, from the middle and working classes to the residents of America’s often ignored ghettos. With series on the anti-Vietnam movement in the late 1960s, which he personally participated in, and on homelessness in America in the early 1980s, he dealt with issues that examine a country’s unresolved conflicts. Unpretentious and precise, he photographed scenes of everyday life in America that subtly reflect conflicts: shopping centers, diners, parking lots, and cars as well as beauty pageants and parades. A near fine copy in boardswith inset photoplate without dust jacket as issued. Superb book.