Former director of the Galleria Civica in Modena, Walter Guadagnini is a curator and professor of History of Contemporary Art at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna. He is also commissaire unique for the Italian section of "Paris Photo."

This fourth and final volume in the Photography series addresses the major themes of contemporary photography and the issues regarding the production and use of photographs in present-day society. With the advent of digital technology and the Internet, the late twentieth and early twenty-first century have marked a crucial milestone in the evolution of the photographic language and technique affecting professionals, amateurs, scholars, and enthusiasts alike, thus leading to the creation of an incredible number of images, often shared amongst millions. Through over 200 photographs from 1981 to 2013, this book closes the great Skira series dedicated to the history of photography. Providing an absolutely and truly international overview, the volume sheds light on modern historical figures like Robert Mapplethorpe, Luigi Ghirri, Martin Parr, Boris Mikhailov, Nan Goldin, Jeff Wall, and Cindy Sherman as well as their younger heirs.