Heads

Avant-garde photographer Alex Kayser studies the enigma of human physiognomy; the 184 models in this book ranged widely in age and come from all walks of life, but share one feature: they are bald. All of the photographers are posed, lit, and cropped identically, so that the images are refined to the sparest of head shots. The subjects are artists, actors, lawyers, gourmet chefs, heavyweight boxers, and chiropractors, and several of them are well-known, but in the very refined presentation of Kayser’s photographs they become a fascinating exercise in how we read faces and human identity.

The text includes an interview with Kayser, quotes from some of the models describing everything from Zen philosophy to a favorite band of razor, and an afterword by National Book Award winner of Richard Howard.