Description
By: Jesse Alexander .
In Portraits, Jesse Alexander offers an intimate and emotional view of the people he has met in his remarkable 50-year career as a passionate motorsports photographer. These photographs feature many of the greatest names from a half-century of racing, from Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, and Jim Clark in the 1950s and 1960s, to more recent images of Enzo Ferrari, Roger Penske, Dan Gurney, and eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen.
Alexander captures the essence of his subjects in shots taken during the heat of action on the track, after the race on the podium, or in the pits. An intent, oil-covered Stirling Moss is seen taking his Mercedes through Spa’s La Source corner in 1955. Jack Brabham and Dan Gurney both appear in striking profile as they wait in their cars on the grid. Away from the track, an animated John Surtees is caught in mid-sentence as Enzo Ferrari glowers in the background. Other great personalities represented include Mario Andretti, Graham Hill, Phil Hill, Bruce McLaren, Peter Revson, and Carroll Shelby.
As in his previous books, Porsche Moments and Ferrari Grand Prix Moments, Alexander’s portraits are rich with evocative details of a bygone era in racing. They also extend beyond drivers and team principals to present the mechanics, crewmen, friends, and family who all contributed to the atmosphere and color of the sport.
