Albert Watson. Kaos. 2nd Edition. Art Edition No. 51–100, 'Monkey with Gun, New York City’, 1992

What makes Albert Watson one of the world’s most revered photographers, hailed by peers, critics, and collectors alike? Is it his unparalleled portfolio of celebrity portraits? Breathtaking landscapes? Sensual nudes, still lifes, illustrious fashion shoots?
KAOS presents a kaleidoscopic overview of Watson’s career to date and the dazzling array of subjects, objects, people, and places he has encountered along the way. A skillfully curated and dynamic portfolio, it spans 50 years of photography as we encounter stars, statesmen, supermodels and strangers; bound through neon-blazing cities; find figures poised, or shimmering with nude eroticism; roam the bright lights and the backstreets; soak up extravagant sunsets; and breathe in the elemental wilds of the photographer’s native Scotland.

Starting with Watson’s breakthrough portrait of Alfred Hitchcock for the Christmas 1973 edition of Harper’s Bazaar, each photograph reverberates with tightly coiled power, tension, and poetry. Whether it’s a portrait of a Las Vegas dominatrix, Elvis’s gold suit, a chimpanzee, or a street scene in China, Watson excels in capturing the surface seamlessly and probing its myriad depths. Along the way, his celebrity portraiture, including the likes of David Bowie, Jay Z, Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Mick Jagger, Jack Nicholson, Steve Jobs, and Andy Warhol, shows a particular interest in the private person behind the iconic façade.

This remarkable collection is accompanied by an essay from the former head of photographs at Christie’s, Philippe Garner, and extensive quotes from Watson, as well as dozens of previously unpublished Polaroids, culled from Watson’s personal archives. The result is a defining document of the “photographer’s photographer,” iridescent in its graphic, often cinematic allure, and irresistible in its eclectic glory.

Art Edition (No. 51–100), with the print Monkey with Gun, New York City, 1992, signed by Albert Watson