Book of the Month – Wombat No. 33 - William Klein

The Wombat box is the first Photography and Art box available by subscription. Every two months, Laurent Sancier and his team create a new box in a limited edition that they send to art lovers worldwide. Inside Wombat, there are always two numbered photographic prints, one artist portfolio and some surprises. Both new emerging talents and internationally renown artists are included. We talked to Laurent Sancier about his concept and box No. 33, which is dedicated entirely to William Klein.

How do you choose the photographers that are presented?
Laurent Sancier: We choose artists with whom we share the same values, and who are passionate like we are. Art has the power to awaken people’s awareness, therefore artists are essential in today's world. We try our best to express messages throughout art. We even consider “the box is the message”. I reckon some of the common values between all the artists we have published are benevolence, excellence and freedom.

Please talk about your collaboration with William Klein and box No. 33!
The current Wombat box No. 33, is our second collaboration with him. It is dedicated to William and his retrospective William + Klein at the Polka Gallery, and it is also a tribute to his impact on our publication. Once more, William Klein, who just turned 90 years-old in April, chose the colour of the box himself (he insisted on this orange-red colour made of Fedrigoni paper), he alone validated all the proof prints, including his two photographic prints on Hahnemühle fine-art paper. The result is strong and impressive. I was walking towards an event in London, with some boxes in my arms, and people were literally stopping me on the streets to ask me what the red boxes were. This was only because of William's talent and his unique graphic eye.

How would you define your target group?
It is a niche group who collect Wombat boxes. Conceptually and aesthetically, we sit between the art world and the design world, borrowing from archival practices, luxury packaging design and independent magazine publishing. Our subscribers enjoy the quality, the handicraft, and like to be stimulated visually.

What is your mission?
Wombat's mission is to see the world in another way. As mentioned previously, we express messages throughout art and, consequently, with the complicity of talented artists and photographers. So we act as a messenger. The box is the message. We are focused on achieving excellence, always improving our craft, delivering the best art boxes ever made, and stimulating minds.

A lot of the works presented in the Wombat box are shot with Leica cameras. How come?
The main reason is that the Leica company and Wombat share the same philosophy and have common values. Therefore when we select photographers to collaborate with, they often work with Leica cameras, of course: Mathieu Cesar, Sacha Goldberger, Joel Meyerowitz, Edouard Elias, Jean-Pierre Laffont, Paul Rousteau, William Klein.... Making a Wombat box requires the same level of involvement as the previous steps: the shooting and editing.

Thanks a lot!
Interview: Denise Klink


Wombat No. 33: William Klein; ein Portfolio mit 10 Bildern, zwei nummerierte Drucke (18 x 24cm), englisch, französisch, Wombat Atelier, Paris 2018
ISBN: 979-10-96227-11-2