Village people: Stephen Shore reveals unseen photographs of Luzzara

A modest Italian village in the province of Reggio Emilia, Luzzara would likely still exist in relative obscurity if it were not for American photographer Paul Strand. Published in 1955, it was his photo-book, Un Paese: Portrait of an Italian Village, which first brought the rural commune to the fore.
Forty years later, Luzzara and its residents played muse once again as another American photography master, Stephen Shore, turned his lens on the townspeople, streets and squares. Now, a new limited-edition tome published by Stanley/Barker revisits the 1993 series, simply named after the town, including a number of never-before-seen photographs.
‘There was no way I could approach Luzzara as though I was not familiar with Strand's work,’ explains Shore. ‘At the same time, even though I was going to Luzzara exactly forty years after Strand, I was not interested in producing a re-photographic survey.’
Although the town remained virtually unchanged over four decades, Shore’s images of Luzzara still feel distinctly nineties – see the boldly printed shirts that seem to shriek colour even in black and white. ‘A key feature of Italian life, at least to my New World eyes, is the presence of the traditional within the modern,’ says Shore. ‘My aim, then, was to produce a companion volume to Un Paese; to produce a group of pictures, which to the limit of the subjectivity of my vision, supplement Strand's work.’
One could almost weave a multi-generational tale between his and Strand’s works. Says Shore: ‘In a certain way, Strand's work does not need simple updating, because the kinds of people and farms and landscapes he photographed still exist in very much the same form today. But, they exist side by side with the modern world.’
Luzzara was first made famous by another American photography master, Paul Strand, forty years earlier. Although Shore was admittedly familiar with his work, he explains, ’I was not interested in producing a re-photographic survey’
Luzzara residents gather by the Po, the longest river in Italy
Moonflowers bloom in the remains of a dilapidated building
The buildings surrounding the town’s main square, pictured, remained virtually unchanged between Strand and Shore’s projects despite a four decade gap
‘A key feature of Italian life, at least to my New World eyes, is the presence of the traditional within the modern,’ says Shore
Although little has changed in the town, Shore’s images of Luzzara feel distinctly nineties – see the boldly printed shirts that seem to shriek colour even in black and white
Shore honed in on architectural details prevalent in the town, such as decorative wrought iron
Bicycles are an omnipresent feature of Luzzara
Light and shadow come to the fore in Shore’s photographs
Says Shore: ‘In a certain way, Strand’s work does not need simple updating, because the kinds of people and farms and landscapes he photographed still exist in very much the same form today’
‘My aim, then, was to produce a companion volume to Un Paese,’ says Shore, ’to produce a group of pictures, which to the limit of the subjectivity of my vision, supplement Strand’s work’
INFORMATION
Published by Stanley/Barker, £35, edition of 1000. For more information, visit the Stanley/Barker website
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The story behind a one-of-a-kind Dieter Rams handbag, reborn by German leather brand Tsatsas
A new exhibition at Vitsœ’s London store celebrates the ‘931’ bag, designed by Dieter Rams for his wife Ingeborg in 1963 and reborn over half a century later in a collaboration between Rams and German leather accessories brand Tsatsas
-
A Miami pied-à-terre channels Art Deco glamour and endless summer
Interior designer Olga Malyev reimagines a South of Fifth apartment with bold colour, vintage treasures and a sunlit spirit that captures Miami’s timeless allure
-
A travelling exhibition of chairs hits the road for London Design Festival 2025
Organised by Design Everything, ‘A Seat at the Table’ travels to different venues in the city, where the chairs support communal events
-
Cult classic ‘Teenagers in Their Bedrooms’ captures the angst of being a teen
Are 1990s teens so different? Three decades after its original release, this photography book by Adrienne Salinger has been published again, by DAP
-
Booker Prize 2025: Kiran Desai returns with long-awaited follow-up as longlist is revealed
This year’s Booker Prize longlist captures the emotional complexity of our times, with stories of fractured families, shifting identities and the search for meaning in unfamiliar places
-
Creativity and rest reign at this Tuscan residence for Black queer artists
MQBMBQ residency founder Jordan Anderson sparks creativity at his annual Tuscan artist residency. Wallpaper* meets him to hear about this year's focus.
-
How to be butch: Clark Henley’s sharp, satirical and playful manual is back in print
The 1982 classic, ‘The Butch Manual: The Current Drag and How to Do It’, full of tongue-in-cheek advice, is available once again
-
We are all fetishists, says Anastasiia Fedorova in her new book, which takes a deep dive into kink
In ‘Second Skin’, writer and curator Fedorova takes a tour through the materials, objects and power dynamics we have fetishised
-
Photographer Mohamed Bourouissa reflects on society, community and the marginalised at MAST
Mohamed Bourouissa unites his work from the last two decades at Bologna’s Fondazione MAST
-
Ten super-cool posters for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics have just been unveiled
The Olympic committees asked ten young artists for their creative take on the 2026 Milano Cortina Games
-
The gayest love story ever told: Jeremy Atherton Lin's memoir is a tribute to home
In 'Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told', Jeremy Atherton Lin mixes memoir with a historical deep-dive into marriage equlaity