People into photo know many of the names of photographers associated with Paris such as Doisneau, Lisette Model or Dora Maar, but Laure Albin Guillot’s name usually draws a blank. Now a retrospective exhibition at the Jeu de Paume revisiting the work of this unsung photography heroine is a step in the direction of reestablishing Guillot’s (1879-1962) place in the history of French photography
Guillot’s photographic career spanned fashion, advertising, portraiture, nudes (male and female) and landscapes. Her photos of microscopic specimens, printed with the delicate Fresson technique and as a book rival Bauhaus experiments in their bold inventiveness. This exhibition reveals her creative use of lighting techniques and innovative design ideas for both fashion and advertising. Her nudes and fine art photographs are marked by the esthetics of Pictorialism but with the compositional strategies of Modernism.
The exhibition (running until May 12, 2013) includes photographs representing the various phases of Guillot’s career including remarkable portraits of Cocteau and Paul Valery, photos from her “Micrographic Décorative” series and examples of collaborative artists books such as “La Cantate de Narcisse” with Fresson photographs and poetry by Paul Valery.
Laure Albin Guillot (1879–1962), The Question of Classicism, to May 12, 2013 at the Jeu de Paume, 1, Place de la Concorde, Paris 75008.