GAUCHOS : ICONS OF ARGENTINA

The gaucho is an iconic symbol of the romantic ideal of the love of freedom and of the unspoiled landscape. With his camera, renowned Argentine artist Aldo Sessa spent months on end traveling around Argentina to its farthest reaches, sparing no effort or sacrifice, to follow and record the traces of these expert nomadic horsemen who preserve the Argentine tradition. Silently, without distracting them, Sessa captured the gauchos at all instances of their rustic daily life, around 50,000 images in total, each shot in fulfillment of a promise to Juan Jose Guiraldes, the legendary Argentine writer, aviator, and founding president of the Argentine Gaucho Confederation to eternalize the gaucho spirit. This spectacular volume captivates readers with sweeping vistas, fascinating details of traditional gaucho clothing and equipment, and compelling portraits of men young and old and their staunch equine workmates.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aldo Sessa is an artist specializing in graphic arts, cinematography, and photography. With more than 200 exhibitions to his credit, he participated in his first group exhibition in 1952, and in 1958 he began working as freelance photographer for La Nacion newspaper in Buenos Aires. After studying cinematography in Hollywood, he worked as illustrator and freelance photographer for La Gaceta newspaper in Tucuman, and he signed his first contract as an artist with the Bonino Gallery in 1972. In 1976 Sessa illustrated Cosmogonies, a book with poems by Jorge Luis Borges, and The Ghosts of Forever and Seances and Ghosts with Ray Bradbury. He has since published more than forty art books, including Arboles de Buenos Aires; Manhattan Panorama; Vida y Gloria del Teatro Colon; Argentina, una Aventura Fotografica; Los Argentinos I & II; Luces y Sombras de Buenos Aires; Tango; Polo Argentino; Estancias: Palacios Criollos; Tesoros de la Patagonia; and Aldo Sessa: Pasion por la Imagen. He was named an Illustrious Citizen of