Spirit of Burgundy [signed] [first edition]

Ralph Gibson has carried on a lifelong love affair with France, passionately observing and recording the country's character through its most intimate details. Now, in The Spirit of Burgundy, the photographer gives us his unforgettable chronicle of a year in one of France's most culturally rich and visually stunning regions. A woman's profile, fleetingly glimpsed; the rugged tapestry of vineyards and the chance combination of colors at a Dijon festival; gleaming necklaces and the heel of a shoe; the shape of a wine bottle and the sensuous pattern of lace curtains - the images in The Spirit of Burgundy capture the essence of their setting. In 86 color and 68 black-and-white duotone photographs, Gibson celebrates Burgundy. Local cuisine, architecture, customs, wine cultivation, landscape, and the Burgundians themselves are ongoing visual themes that produce a witty portrait: sensual but never sentimental, both stark and lush, earthy and enigmatic.