Born in France in 1928, Guy Bourdin is best known for his highly experimental photography. Predominantly working in colour Bourdin was a key contributor to French Vogue from 1955 to end of the 80's, pushing the boundaries of fashion photography, presenting bold often provocative images with a unique contemporary aesthetic. Shot in France in the 1950s Bourdin's early experimental work bridges the gap between Surrealism and Subjective Photography,
simultaneously drawing on the past while at the same time adopting current trends. The past in his case is the influence of surrealism which can be seen in the way in which Bourdin approaches still life and portraiture. This surrealist influence in his work is often attributed to his close relationship with Man Ray, who in 1952 wrote the catalogue forward for Bourdin's first solo exhibition. Guy Bourdin's career spanned more than forty years during which time he worked for the world's leading fashion houses and magazines.
With the eye of a painter, Guy Bourdin created images that contained fascinating stories, compositions, both in B&W and in colours. He was among the 1st to create images with narratives, telling stories and shows that the image is more important than the product which is displayed. Using fashion photography as his medium, he sent out his message, one that was difficult to decode, exploring the realms between the absurd and the sublime. Famed for his suggestive narratives and surreal aesthetics, he radically broke conventions of commercial photography with a relentless perfectionism and sharp humor. Guy Bourdin was an image maker, a perfectionist. He knew how to grab the attention of the viewer and left nothing to chance. He created impeccable sets, or when not shooting in his studio rue des Ecouffes in le Marais, in undistinguished bedrooms, on the beach, in nature, or in urban landscapes. The unusual dramas that unfold in these seemingly everyday scenes and ordinary encounters pique our subconscious and invite our imagination. Moreover, he developed a technic using hyper real colours, meticulous compositions of cropped elements such as low skies with high grounds and the interplay of light and shadows as well as the unique make-up of the models.
His work has been exhibited in the most prestigious museums, such as The Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Modern, The Jeu de Paume, The Getty Museum, The National Art Museum of China, The Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and The Moscow House of Photography. His oeuvres is part of the collection of many prestigious institutions such as the MoMA in New York, The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, SFMOMA in San Francisco and the collection of the V&A among others.
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
Tate Modern, London
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
MoMA, New York
SFMOMA, San Francisco
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
National Portrait Gallery, London
International Center of Photography - ICP, New York
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Musée de l’Élysée, Lausanne
Palais Galliera, Paris
CHRONOLOGY – Early exhibitions and publications
1928
Guy Bourdin born Guy Louis Banarès, December 2 (7 rue Popincourt, Paris XI.
1948-1949
Military service in the Air Force as apprentice photographer, stationed in Dakar, Senegal.
1950
First exhibition of his paintings and drawings: gallery details not known, rue de Bourgogne, Paris VII.
1952
First exhibition of his photographs: Galerie 29, 29 rue de Seine, Paris VI, February 15-29.
The small, single-folded-sheet catalogue has an introduction by Man Ray and lists 45 exhibits.
First published feature on his photographs: Michel Garance, ‘Guy Bourdin un jeune photographe’, Photo France, 3rd year, No. 15, Paris, pp. 27-28.
1953
Works shortly at the American Embassy (Photostat operator).
Two-phase portfolio publication:
Michel Garance, ‘Guy Bourdin’, Photo Monde, No. 28, Paris, September, pp. 34-37 (male artist portraits);;
Michel Garance, ‘Guy Bourdin’, Photo Monde, No. 29, Paris, October, pp. 29-35 (abstractions).
Exhibition of his photographs under the pseudonym Edwin Hallan: Galerie Huit, 8 rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, Paris V, November 15-29.
1954
Exhibition of his drawings: Galerie de Beaune, 5 rue de Beaune, Paris VII, June 25-July 16.
Shows his work to Paris Vogue editor Edmonde Charles-Roux, leading to his first commission for the magazine.
Publication in Photo Monde, No 34, Paris, June, pp. 32-40 (street photographs)
1955
Publication of his first fashion images: ‘Chapeaux-Choc’, Vogue, Paris, February, pp. 62-65.
Publication of joint feature with photographer friend Fouli Elia: Francine du Plessix, ‘Neuf femmes peintres qui peignent comme des hommes’, Nouveau Femina, Paris, February, pp. 80-85 (female artist portraits).
Participates in group exhibition: ‘C.S. [Combined Societies] Association Travelling Exhibition of International Photography, 1955-57’, ten U.K. venues, from July 18 1955, finishing at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, Spring 1957 (‘Car’ and ‘Emmanuelle’ listed in catalogue, six images illustrated in curator Roger Mayne’s records, including ‘Sophie’).
Exhibition of his drawings: Les Amis des Arts, 26 Cours Mirabeau, Aix-en-Provence.
Participates with his drawings of cats in group exhibition: Galerie de Seine, 24 rue de Seine, Paris VI.
Exhibition of his paintings: Galerie Charpentier, 76 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, Paris VIII.
Rejected image from first Vogue shoot (‘Sophie’ in front of gutted rabbits) published: Norman Hall and Basil Burton, Photography Year Book 1956, Photography Magazine, London, 1955, p. 146.
1956
First publication of his photographs in American Vogue, New York, July 1956, pp. 86-87 (‘Toto’ and ‘Minou Drouet’)
Exhibition of his drawings: Galerie de Seine, 24 rue de Seine, Paris VI.
Exhibition of his paintings, watercolors, and ink drawings: Deitsch Gallery, 51 East 73rd St., New York, December 3-30.
1957
Participates in group exhibition on fashion photography: ‘Vogue’, First International Photography Biennale, Venice, April 20-May 19.
1960
MoMa, Photographs for collector, Oct 1–16.
1968
XIV Triennale di Milano, curated by François Mathey, June 23 -July 28