Spirit of Dunkerque is the result of a significant cultural commission by the city of Dunkerque, France, which invited William Eggleston to document its unique urban and industrial landscape. Captured over several visits, the 51 color photographs in this volume avoid the typical historical landmarks of the city, focusing instead on the geometric beauty of its industrial docks, the stark lines of its post-war reconstruction, and the atmospheric light of the North Sea. Eggleston treats the cranes, containers, and vacant lots of the port with the same formal reverence he applied to the American South, revealing an unexpected poetry in the functional machinery of the city. The monograph includes an insightful text by Laurent Lempereur, exploring the intersection of Eggleston’s “democratic” vision and the specific historical weight of Dunkerque.
