Chris Boot (born 27 May 1960) is a British photography curator, book publisher, and has worked in a variety of other roles related to photography. He was director of London’s Photo Co-op, director of the London and New York offices of Magnum Photos, editorial director at

Phaidon Press Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional off ...

, founder of Chris Boot Ltd. a photography book publisher, and is now executive director of Aperture Foundation. In these roles he has commissioned, edited or published a number of noteworthy photography books.

Life and work

Boot was born on 27 May 1960 in

Kynnersley Kynnersley is a village in Shropshire, England. Kynnersley lies in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, in a remote, rural location north of Telford. The village has a population of approximately 180 based on the 2001 census and taking into accoun ...

, Shropshire, England. He has a BA in photography from the

Polytechnic of Central London , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

, and a BA in English literature from the Royal Holloway College, University of London. Between 1984 and 1990 Boot was director of London’s Photo Co-op (since renamed Photofusion), an independent photography resource center and gallery. In 1990 he moved to Magnum Photos where he became director of its London and then, in 1995, of its New York office, until 1998. He was editorial director at

from 1998 to 2000. While at Phaidon, he wrote and edited ''Magnum Stories''; edited ''Robert Capa, the Definitive Collection'' by Richard Whelan and the ''Phaidon 55'' series of books from 2001 onwards, which included volumes on Nan Goldin, Mary Ellen Mark, Shomei Tomatsu, Dorothea Lange and

W. Eugene Smith William Eugene Smith (December 30, 1918 – October 15, 1978) was an American photojournalist.Peacock, Scot. "W(illiam) Eugene Smith." ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2003. ''Biography In Context'' He has been described as "perhaps the si ...

and Walker Evans; and commissioned ''The Photobook: A History'' by

Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in p ...

and Gerry Badger, ''Boring Postcards'' from the collection of Martin Parr, ''Outland'' by Roger Ballen, ''Snaps'' by Elliott Erwitt, and ''Heaven and Earth'' by David Malin and

Katherine Roucoux Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

. In 2001 he founded Chris Boot Ltd. in London, producing and publishing some forty photography books independently until 2011. From January 2011 until May 2021, Boot was executive director of Aperture Foundation in New York.

Books commissioned or edited by Boot apart from those published by Chris Boot Ltd.

Chris Boot Ltd.

His company Chris Boot Ltd., a London-based photographic publishing house and exhibition producer, launched in 2001 and operated until 2011. It published ''Lodz Ghetto Album'' by

Henryk Ross Henryk Ross (1 May 1910 1991) was a Polish Jewish photographer who was employed by the Department of Statistics for the Judenrat, Jewish Council within the Łódź Ghetto during the Holocaust in occupied Poland. About Ross was born in 1910. R ...

(2004) and ''Things as They Are: Photojournalism in Context Since 1955'' by

Mary Panzer Mary E. Panzer (September 19, 1951) is an American banker and politician. A Republican, she served 25 years in the Wisconsin Legislature, including 11 years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1993–2005) and 14 years in the State Assembly (1 ...

and :fr:Christian Caujolle (2005), both of which won the

ICP ICP may refer to: Business * ICP srl, Italian manufacturer of automotive equipment and kit aircraft *Ideal customer profile: see Qualified prospect * International Comfort Products Corporation, US air conditioning and heating company * Indonesi ...

Infinity Award. When Boot left in 2011 his assistant Maxwell Anderson took over management and no new projects were initiated. Chris Boot Ltd. published the following books of photography:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boot, Chris Publishers (people) from London British curators Photography curators Living people 1960 births Publishing companies established in 2001 2001 establishments in England Visual arts publishing companies Book publishing companies of England Photography companies of the United Kingdom Businesspeople from Shropshire