Richard Misrach is an American photographer known for his large-format color photographs that explore the collision of nature and culture. A pioneer in the renaissance of color photography during the 1970s, he is best known for his epic 'Desert Cantos' series, which documents the environmental transformation of the American West by human factors such as urban sprawl, tourism, industrialization, and nuclear testing. His work often navigates the tension between political urgency and aesthetic beauty, seeking to fuse reportage with poetry. Misrach has received numerous accolades, including an Infinity Award from the International Center for Photography and a Guggenheim Fellowship.[1,2,3,4,5]
Telegraph 3 AM1974 · Cornucopia Press · book · EnglishFirst major photography project depicting homeless residents of Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
Bravo 20: The Bombing of the American West1991 · Johns Hopkins University Press · book · EnglishCo-authored with Myriam Weisang Misrach.
Violent Legacies: Three Cantos1992 · Aperture Inc. · book · EnglishISBN 0893815195Includes fiction by Susan Sontag and a postscript interview with Misrach.
Destroy This Memory2010 · Aperture · book · EnglishISBN 978-1597111638Monograph of photographs taken after Hurricane Katrina.
Petrochemical America2012 · Aperture · book · EnglishISBN 978-1597111911Co-authored with Kate Orff.
On the Beach2007 · Aperture · book · EnglishLarge-format book of serial photographs taken from a beach in Hawaii.
Border Cantos2016 · Aperture · book · EnglishCo-authored with Guillermo Galindo.
Notations2022 · Radius Books · book · EnglishMonograph of experimental color reverse photographs.
CARGO2025 · Aperture · book · EnglishCaptures the serenity of container ships anchored in the San Francisco Bay.
Exhibitions
1988Richard Misrach: 1975-1987solo
1996Crimes and Splendors: The Desert Cantos of Richard MisrachMuseum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houstonsolo
2007On the Beachsolo
Awards
1988Infinity AwardInternational Center for Photography
1991PEN Center West Award for a Nonfiction Book
2011Best Photobook of the YearPhotoEspaña
2008Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fine Art Photography
