John McWhinnie at Glenn Horowitz is very pleased to announce the publication of Rizzoli’s Purple Anthology, a book celebrating the 15th anniversary of Purple Magazine. A reception will be held June 10th from 6pm – 8 pm to launch the new title. Photographic works and page spreads from the magazine will be on show from June 10th through July 3rd.

A repository for all matters visually cultural Purple has become the magazine industry’s reference bible for inspiration, guidance, and emulation. Co-founded in 1992 by Olivier Zahm and Elein Fleiss Purple set out to cut a fresh path in the already visual-and-idea saturated fields of art and fashion periodical production. Disdaining to divide the two worlds, art and fashion, Purple set its sights on marrying them together using a radical editorial approach. Celebrated fine artists were commissioned to shoot fashion editorial spreads, a decision which gave rise to a whole new feel in fashion spreads- something individualistic, a raw improvisational aesthetic that parted company from the editorial boardroom consensus take. The aesthetic carried forward into styling the look of the publication, in its graphics, attitude and sensibility. The result revolutionized the look of fashion magazines and the effect is still with us today.

Over the years Purple worked closely with individual artist contributors building stable connections with such culturally celebrated figures of today as Terry Richardson, Wolfgang Tillmans, Juergen Teller, Jack Pierson, Richard Kern and Inez van Lamsveerde. Artists who have contributed to Purple’s pages include Richard Prince, Christopher Wool, John Currin, and Vanessa Beecroft. Ever in quest of the fresh and innovative the magazine could not deny a certain attachment to various media figures it regularly featured, muses in the form of Kim Gordon, Chloe Sevigny, Kate Moss, Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsburg and Vincent Gallo, all of whom make an appearance in the pages of the Anthology. Texts contributed for the book are from, amongst others, Glenn O’Brien, Dave Hickey, Gary Indiana, Bruce Benderson, Bob Nickas and Jeff Rian. Captured together in one volume, reviewing fifteen years in cutting edge fashion, photography, art and graphic design, Purple Anthology represents a serious engagement with documenting the visually groundbreaking and aesthetically innovative in contemporary culture at the end of the millennium.

In recognition of Purple’s contribution John McWhinnie at Glenn Horowitz Booksellers will produce a special limited edition photographic portfolio of works by five of Purple’s contributors – Juergen Teller, Richard Kern, Jack Pierson, Terry Richardson, and Richard Prince. The deluxe portfolio, featuring a work by each artist, will comprise 5 signed and numbered 16” x 20” color prints. The photographs will be gathered in a deluxe portfolio case. This singular production will be an edition of 10 and will be available for $25,000.