Charles Jourdan, Spring 1979, © The Guy Bourdin Estate, 2014/ Courtesy A+C
The troubling femininity of Guy Bourdin
Saturated color, suggestive visuals and an elegance tinged with eroticism lend themselves to the French fashion photographer’s most career-defining photographs, on show at Somerset House, London until March 15. The Guy Bourdin: Image Maker retrospective will retrace the artist’s compelling career through prints, which up until now have remained under wraps, including the Walking Legs spread for Charles Jourdan, to be published in full for the very first time.
Born in 1928, the self-taught artist and loyal Vogue Paris regular made a definitive mark on the contemporary fashion photography scene with his shocking, sometimes disturbing images. His work, which predominantly captured women, reflects his penchant for the provocative yet romantic, the magnificent and the absurd and a passion for painting. Today, twenty-three years after his death, a new London exhibition pays tribute to the celebrated photographer, who refused to have his work published while he was alive. Until March 15, his remarkable pieces will be on display at Somerset House, alongside rare images and paintings, sketches, notes from his sketchbook and the Walking Legs advertising campaign for Charles Jourdan, which has never yet been seen in full. Take a glimpse into the world of a master of the politically incorrect – now photography icon – with the complete retrospective also illustrated in the Guy Bourdin: Britain by Cadillac book, published bySomerset House in conjunction with the photography exhibition.
The “Guy Bourdin: Image Maker” exhibition, until March 15 2015 at Somerset House, London
The “Guy Bourdin: Image Maker” exhibition, until March 15 2015 at Somerset House, London
Source : vogue.fr
Charles Jourdan, Fall 1977 © The Guy Bourdin Estate, 2014/ Courtesy A+C
Charles Jourdan, Spring 1976, © The Guy Bourdin Estate, 2014/ Courtesy A+C
Charles Jourdan, January 1980 © The Guy Bourdin Estate, 2014/ Courtesy A+C
Calendrier Pentax, 1980, © The Guy Bourdin Estate, 2014/ Courtesy A+C
Charles Jourdan, Fall 1979 © The Guy Bourdin Estate, 2014/ Courtesy A+C
Charles Jourdan, Fall 1979 © The Guy Bourdin Estate, 2014/ Courtesy A+C
