Acacias Art Center - "The Portraits" Exhibition
The Acacias Art Center hosted a keynote exhibition, Guy Bourdin – The Portraits, featuring rare works produced between 1950 and 1980.
Widely acclaimed as one of the greatest photographers of the second half of the 20th century and a brilliant inventor of fashion and advertising images, Guy Bourdin produced several of his photographic projects at the Acacias Art Center.
"Guy Bourdin: The Portraits" is a selection of the most personal works ever shown in Paris since his death in 1991, showcasing rare images produced between 1950-1980. Curated by historian Shelly Verthime, the exhibition gathers more than 150 of the artist's photographs from an intimate and personal perspective. His early black-and-white works, largely influenced by surrealism, often overlooked, sit alongside his most iconic and timeless photographs, as well as Super-8 films from his personal collection. The exhibition highlights the central role that Surrealism played in the photographer's work. Influenced by his close ties to Man Ray, Guy Bourdin's early portraits lay the foundation for his surrealist language and approach, which would eventually become one of his stylistic signatures.
Bringing to a close forty years of Guy Bourdin's artistic research, the exhibition ends with his colour press and advertising photography, which revolutionised fashion photography at the end of the 20th century.
Defying convention with his mysterious, hypnotic and Surrealist take on fashion photography, he invented bold, often appealing images with a unique modern aesthetic. Finally, the exhibition sheds light on Guy Bourdin the fashion film pioneer, through several Super-8 films taken from his personal collection, which he shot himself during photo shoots. Primarily a creator of images, Guy Bourdin (1928-1991) continued to learn and explore, from his first portraits to his advertising images, in which each person plays an essential but never overwhelming role. His works continue to feel modern to this day.
Reiffers Art Initiatives is a foundation created to support young contemporary creation and cultural diversity.
Reiffers Art Initiatives’ mission is to support France’s new art scene and give it international visibility. It finances and gives exposure to thirty emerging artists every year, who will influence tomorrow’s contemporary art scene.