About John Gossage
Born 1946. John Gossage is an American photographer.
John Gossage (born 1946) is an American photographer, noted for his artist's books and other publications using his photographs to explore under-recognised elements of the urban environment such as abandoned tracts of land, debris and garbage, and graffiti, and themes of surveillance, memory and the relationship between architecture and power.
Life and career Gossage was born in Staten Island, New York City in 1946 and at an early age became interested in photography, leaving school at 16 and taking private instruction from Lisette Model,
He has taught at the University of Maryland, College Park and curated several photographic exhibitions. He lives and works in Washington, D.C.
Publications Publications by Gossage Gardens. Hollow Press; Castelli Graphic, 1978. . Text selected by Walter Hopps. The Pond. New York: Aperture, 1985. . With an essay by Denise Sines. Edition of 2000 copies. New York: Aperture, 2010. . With a preface by Toby Jurovics and an essay by Gerry Badger. Stadt des Schwarz. Loosestrife, 1987. LAMF: Three Days in Berlin 1987. Self-published, 1988. There and Gone. Nazraeli, 1997. The Things that Animals Care About. Tucson, AZ: Nazraeli, 1998. Empire. Nazraeli, 2000. Four American Photographs. Nazraeli, 2000. One Picture Book 2. . Hey Fuckface!. Tucson, AZ: Nazraeli, 2000. . With a pamphlet by Gus Blaisdell containing an essay taken from "Obscenity in Thy Mothers Milk," and a single page interview of Gossage by Peter Lloyd. Edition of 100 copies. "19 original silver gelatin prints with hand written curses mounted on rag board, housed in a wood and plexiglass box by Yachio-shi." A study of Environmental Protection Agency-listed hazardous waste sites in and near Staten Island and Syracuse, New York. Romance Industry. Nazraeli, 2002. Dance Card Vol. 2. One Star Press, 2003. Berlin in the Time of the Wall. 2004. Images taken during more than twenty years of study of Berlin. Putting Back the Wall. Loosestrife, 2007. . 13 Ways to Miss a Train. Linea di Confine, 2004. Secret of Real Estate. Sheldon Art Galleries, 2008. The Absolute Truth. Tokyo: Super Labo, 2011. Edition of 500 copies. Eva’s Book. Tokyo: Super Labo, 2011. . Edition of 500 copies. Here. Rochester Art Center, 2010. A Few Years With a Telecaster. Harper's books, 2010. The Thirty Two Inch Ruler: Map of Babylon. Göttingen: Steidl, 2010. . Waking in Warhol’s Bed. Kehrer, 2010. The Auckland Project. Radius, 2011. The Actor. Loosestrife, 2012. She Called me by Name. Loosestrife, 2012. The Code. Harper's Books 2012. Pomodori a Grappolo. Radius, 2014. Who Do You Love. Fraenkel Gallery, 2014. Nothing. Waltz Books, 2015. Hey Fuckface (bootleg). Horses Think Press, 2015. With texts by Gus Blaisdell and Peter Lloyd. A Dozen Failures. TIS (This Is Sausage), 2016. . Edition of 700 copies. Looking up Ben James: A Fable. Göttingen: Steidl, 2016. . Jack Wilson's Waltz. Göttingen: Steidl, 2019. . Should Nature Change. Göttingen: Steidl, 2019. The Nicknames of Citizens. Göttingen: Steidl, 2020.
Publications with others America, 2006. Photographs by Obvious & Ordinary. Chicago: Stephen Daiter Gallery; London: Rocket Gallery, 2007. By Martin Parr ("Obvious") and Gossage ("Ordinary"). Edition of 1500 copies. One Day: 10 Photographers. Heidelberg: Kehrer, 2011. . A boxed set of ten books of photographs taken on 21 June 2010. Edited by Harvey Benge, each book by one of Gossage, Alec Soth, Jessica Backhaus, Gerry Badger, Benge, Todd Hido, Rob Hornstra, Rinko Kawauchi, Eva Maria Ocherbauer and Martin Parr. Snake Eyes. Washington D.C.: Loosestrife, 2002. With Terri Weifenbach. Edition of 500 copies. The Auckland Project. Santa Fe, NM: Radius, 2011. . Photographs by Gossage and Alec Soth. Two volume hardbound in slipcase.
Exhibitions John Gossage: The Pond, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., 2010/2011 The Thirty Two Inch Ruler: Map of Babylon, World Photography Festival and Sony World Photography Awards Exhibitions, World Photography Organisation, Somerset House, London, 2011.
Collections Gossage's work is held in the following public and private permanent collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal Menil Collection, Houston
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Important facts
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Frequently asked questions
Who is John Gossage?
American photographer (born 1946)
When was John Gossage born?
John Gossage was born on 15 March 1946 in Staten Island, New York City.
What is John Gossage's occupation?
John Gossage is a photographer.
What nationality is John Gossage?
John Gossage is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Gossage. https://biography.guide/john-gossage/
MLA: "John Gossage." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-gossage/.
Chicago: "John Gossage." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-gossage/.
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