Liebes Leben: Bilder mit Irene (‘Love Life – Scenes with Irene’)
Rosawitha Hecke, Irene
Edition : First / Munich / Rogner & Bernhardt / 1978 / Hardcover. / VG+ / VG+ 8vo. Unpaginated (ca 120pp). Black cloth in Dustwrapper. Numerous Black & White plates.
First printing of the cult book, which won the 1979 Kodak Prize as best photobook. Irene was a serious Zurich face, Knew Bowie, Walter Pfeiffer and the rest of the Zurich Jetset, modelled for Sigmar Polke and Thema selection, and tragically died in a bike accident in Thailand in the eighties. “It is through the director Werner Schroeter that Roswitha Hecke met Irene. Irene, a secret star of Zurich’s Boh’me at that time, worked as a prostitute until her tragic accidental death. For three weeks Hecke photographed her daily routine in Zurich and accompanied her to Rome where Irene always celebrated her birthday. The result was a subtle and strong portrait of a woman, both beautiful and confident, with an unrivaled eroticism and proud elegance. The photos, a mix of choreographed and documentary work, capture an unusual immediacy and presence.”
