Dieter Blum

The wide horizon of the prairie on which the sun sets, galloping horses and laid-back cowboys swinging lassos: these are the images that give the myth of America visual form, make it both visible and palpable. Unlike any other contemporary artist, the German photographer Dieter Blum (born 1936) has explored and updated this subject. The 60 photographs in his series Cowboys, which were taken in 1992 for Marlboro Cigarettes, testify to this and are assembled for the first time in their entirety in this volume. The myth of the "lonesome cowboy" is ruptured in a humorous way and replaced by a "worker" who pursues everyday activities in a team--stands at the bar, reads the newspaper, washes laundry, skis, takes a bath.