8 Days in Napoli
A raw and unflinching publication featuring never-before-seen work made exclusively for Leica by legendary Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden. This compelling body of work also marks the debut of the Leica Libretto book series, an initiative by Leica USA that celebrates influential photographic voices through concise, focused storytelling.
Gilden sets off on an 8-day odyssey in Napoli, taking his sharp edge and talent for getting in close to his subjects and making the viewer part of the scene. Gilden actively seeks out the confrontations and characters that fit his vision in this remarkable exploration of the streets in Napoli.
Gilden’s unmistakable style—direct, visceral, and unapologetically real—reflects his lifelong mission to photograph life as it is. His portraits do more than document; they confront, confess, and ultimately honor the spirit of the street.
“These revelatory portraits of random Neapolitans, gathered in a brief 8-day stay in the historic city, attest to the fact that Gilden’s ‘edge’ remains finely honed, revealing an artist who persists in recording the ‘whole truth’ of his subject in powerful, provocative, and indelibly authentic images.”
– Max Blagg (from the introduction to 8 Days in Napoli)
About the Artist:
Bruce Gilden was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946. A self-taught photographer, he has spent over five decades cultivating his instantly recognizable style—characterized by his unflinching street portraits, often captured with a direct flash and intimate proximity. His work has spanned the globe, with major projects in New York, Haiti, Japan, and beyond.
A member of Magnum Photos since 1998, Gilden’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), and the Getty Museum (Los Angeles), among others. He has received multiple grants and fellowships, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013. Gilden lives and works in Beacon, New York.
About the Book:
- 25 x 9.25 inches
- Dust jacket, hard cover
- 84 pages
- 3 lbs.
- Color and black and white reproductions
- Signed Copy
At a glance
- Exclusively for Leica
- 12.25 x 9.25 inches
- 84 pages
- Signed copies available in limited quantities
Hardcover edition of 8 Days in Napoli by Bruce Gilden.
