New Releases by David Levinthal

Break-in at the Three Bears family home? It could only be one dame. Wicked witch gone missing from her candied cottage? Hansel and Gretel claim it was self-defense. Did Humpty Dumpty really just fall off that wall, or was he pushed? Here are five fairy-tale stories with a twist, all told from the point of view of a streetwise police officer called Binky, who just happens to be a toad in a suit and a fedora. When Snow White doesn't make it to the beauty pageant, Officer Binky is the first to find the apple core lying by her bed. When an awful giant mysteriously crashes to the ground, upsetting the whole town, Binky discovers exactly who is responsible. Author David Levinthal and illustrator John Nickle retell these classic stories in the style of a 1940s noir detective novel—for kids!

Dealing with war in any context is a difficult and problematic venture. Acclaimed photographer Levinthal uses toy soldiers and plastic Humvees to explore and understand the ongoing conflict in Iraq. Although this may seem too light and playful, this is not just a recreation of the Iraq War, but a societal commentary about the imaging and imagining of war through the use of direct signifiers. Never before has there been such a massive production of toys directly related to a current and unresolved conflict.

A celebration of baseball's greatest moments, recreated by photographer David Levinthal using miniatures.

- The Simpsons, distributed to over 30 countries, celebrates its 300th episode in February, 2003

American-born photographer Levinthal has earned national recognition by creating potent, ironic, and sometimes controversial visions using miniature figures and toys as characters in staged tableaux. Since publishing his first major work in 1977 (Hitler Moves East: A Graphic Chronicle, 1941-43), he has worked with Barbie, blackface memorabilia, toy soldiers, and various modeling figures to explore the icons and stereotypes of popular culture. Levinthal executed his series Modern Romance in the mid-1980s. Echoing the paintings of Edward Hopper and film noir, these are scenes of urban life in dreamy neon-lit color and television blues. Levinthal shows us figures lingering on street corners, entering movie theaters, passing through alleys, conversing in diners, and interacting in confined spaces. He also depicts the impersonal landscape of the city: cop cars on the streets, doorways, and murky bedrooms. Levinthal's lovely and vaguely troubling photographs house a tension of possibilities; with details obscured, they speak of solitude, sexual isolation, and urban anxiety. An illuminating essay by Eugenia Parry opens the book, nicely placing this formative series in both a personal and an artistic context. This is serious art, dealing with fascinating ideas. Highly recommended for contemporary art collections of academic and public libraries. Deborah Miller, Minneapolis--"Library Journal"

Of all of David Levinthal's work none has caused more controversy than his "blackface" series. Levinthal has used his toy collection to question our national myths, childhood dreams, and stereotypes concerning race and cultural identity. This series explores the blackface myth embodied in "black memorabilia" -- once ubiquitous household objects infused with racist caricature. Levinthal's photos let the artifacts speak to us directly, without an intermediary, and demand a response from us regardless of our race, age, or gender. These images present a paradox in which the beauty of photographic representation brings into relief the historical ugliness the objects are rooted in. Magnified with a 20x24 inch Polaroid camera, the Blackface pictures raise questions about a host of issues, including viewer subjectivity, the recent popularity of "black memorabilia" among African-American intelligentsia, and why the manufacture of these objects proliferated earlier in this century.

Photographs by David Levinthal. Contributions by David Corey.

A collection of soft-focus color photographs of toys staged to re-enact the Holocaust.

Photographs by David Levinthal. Contributions by David Alan Mellor.