Illustrator, photographer, writer, art director... New York based Tim Groen is a non-stop creative force. His personal & approachable approach is infectious, his genuine love of people infuses all of his work. Tim's 6 Objects of Desire is a crystal clear insight into what makes this man tick.

The Object of Desire I'm about to pull the trigger on: Native Funk & Flash: An Emerging Folk Art By Alexandra Jacopetti, 1974
I'm a Gemini, so sometimes making a simple purchase takes a couple of years, fellow Gemini will know what I'm talking about. I think I'm ready now. Native Funk & Flash is a little paperback from 1974.
With photographer Jerry Wainwright, Jacopetti introduces us to a California scene of crafty, creative freaks — including a serving of Cockettes — who crochet, patchwork, knit, bead & embroider like their lives depend on it. The attractive, colorful portraits, accompanied by short blurbs, make you want to go back in time & get high with a fringed Victorian piano shawl tied around your head, or waist, or leg. It all works, as the images demonstrate. Good interior decoration inspiration, too; I suspect a Victorian revival is just around the corner.

Precious Object of Desire: Avedon, Photographs 1947- 1977 Designed by Elizabeth Paul, 1978
Nothing equals book browsing in an actual brick-&-mortar vintage bookstore. I'm fortunate enough, or should I say unfortunate, to live near Clic, the bookstore & gallery founded by designer Christiane Celle. In this treasure trove of fashion photography-related first editions & signed copies, I found an Avedon book I never actually held before & you guessed right: a signed first edition.
The scale, the iconic 1953 portrait of Marella Agnelli on the cover, the brittle, yellowed acetate dust jacket with the dramatic red signature, the thick, uncoated pages & the barely-there interior graphic design all make this a Book/Object of the first order. Please save me from myself & buy it before I decide to. It's worth the $750 it is listed at. Clic Gallery & Bookstore: www.clicgallery.com

The Elusive Object of Desire: Fiorucci, The Book By Eve Babitz, 1980
Occasionally I see copies floating by on abebooks.com or Amazon, but, I want to physically flip through 'Fiorucci, The Boo'k before I shell out four hundred bucks.
Apparently it contains all the imagery Fiorucci created for its collateral materials; the posters, ashtrays, tin cans, hang tags, POP displays, packaging. Does that sound orgasmic or what? The more I've been thinking about the Fiorucci graphics, the more I realize that my appreciation is not just rooted in nostalgia. The DNA of their identity went back to British Pop art & to Eduardo Paolozzi in particular. Kitsch? Sure, that too. But because there was more to it, we are still intrigued by the brand's heyday. Now where's that book already?

Soon-to-be-released Object of Desire: Marcel Broodthaers: Works & Collected Writings Edited by Gloria Moure. Text by Birgit Pelzer Release date November/December 2011
While I'm obviously fond of out of print books, anticipating upcoming volumes can be no less exciting -having them at home is just a little more exciting, of course.
Spanish publisher Ediciones Poligrafa will soon be releasing a 400+ page tome about the late, great visionary Marcel Broodthaers, which includes not only tons of visuals, but poetry, interviews, open letters and other previously unpublished writings as well. This is a no-brainer; in the shopping cart it goes.

The I'm-waiting-for-it Object of Desire: Steven Meisel, The Editorials By Unknown, publishing date non-existent
This would be a three-volume boxed set of cloth bound books. A catalogue raisonné, director's cut-style, of Steven Meisel's editorial work thus far, including the shots rejected by editors. Why this does not exist I don't know.
These are the things I think about: how does a Tom Ford have a book & a Steven Meisel does not? It could be because Meisel is a perfectionist & he doesn't see the need for a vanity project. Which I would not only understand, but even admire. That said, I would love to pour over every amazing shoot he has ever done. I can't think of any contemporary, commercial photographer who continually creates flawless, flawless work, & we're talking decades at this point. It's not that its all my style necessarily, but with so much mediocrity around us all day long, there is something mesmerizing about Meisel's level of skill alone.

Object of Desire I actually own: Rock Dreams By Guy Peellaert & Nick Cohn, 1973
Once upon a time, when Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll were still organically connected, an illustrator & a rock writer got together & created Rock Dreams. My parents had this book when I was little & I vividly remember being confused & fascinated by it.
It's a weird, dark collection of airbrushed, illustrated portraits of rock stars by the Belgian Nick Peeleart — who also did covers for Bowie & the Stones. Everybody from the Mamas & the Papas to Johnny Cash to Donovan, gets a trippy, pervy treatment. You never quite know what you're looking at, because there's always something off in terms of context. Each image is accompanied by an oblique caption, sometimes a fragment of a lyric, by rock writer Cohn.
I'm from hippie stock, so I wasn't considered too young for anything as a kid; Tina fellating a microphone, Jethro Tull indecently proposing a five-year old, the Stones in Nazi regalia with naked children, it's all in there & then some.
This book still is a huge source of inspiration to me.

TimGroen.com

Photographer, Lena Modigh perfectly captures a fleeting moment: a beautiful girl at the end of Summer, the Summer of her youth...

Paper Kisses is a diary of youth with the pages put up for all the world to see.

Photographer: Lena Modigh
Stylist: Tereza Ortiz
Hair & make up: Therese Svenbo at Agent Bauer

Model: Linnea at Stockholmsgruppen