Les Plages du Var / Les Pieds dans l'Eau

Les Plages du Var / Les Pieds dans l'Eau is a compelling photobook by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, published in 2000 by Hôtel des Arts / Centre méditerranéen d'art in Toulon, France. The work captures evocative seashore images from the Var region in France and various locations along the Italian coast. Designed by Jean-Marc Ballée and featuring text and an interview by Sophie Baiss-Fabiani, the book is notable for its unconventional production. It is printed on a variety of diverse papers, including a distinctive section that mimics the appearance of cheap cocktail napkins. Vitali's photography transforms pedestrian, rocky urban beaches into scenes that are simultaneously romantic and grotesque. This first edition, limited and press-numbered, is a significant contribution to the history of the photobook, capturing the unique atmosphere of coastal life through a lens of high-contrast, light-filled imagery.