In the 1970s, colour photography was shunned by galleries and museums, considered the remit of tourists and amateurs. Luigi Ghirri disagreed. He wrote, ‘I take photographs in colour because the real world is in colour, and because colour film has been invented.’

His snapshots of Italian architecture, landscapes and people are now a cornerstone of conceptual art, placing him at the vanguard of colour photography alongside William Eggleston. Colazione sull’Erba (Breakfast on the Grass) is a collection of images he took between 1972-4 while roaming the outskirts of Modena, exploring the juncture of nature and artifice in the man-made environment.

Colazione sull’Erba is out now published by MACK.

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