If fashion photography – a genre devoted to highlighting clothing, accessories and clothing styles – has its origins in commerce and advertising, it has risen to the rank of art as shown by the Parisian exhibitions Penn & Fashion at the European House of Photography (MEP) and Rafael Pavarotti. Photographer at the Museum of Decorative Arts (MAD). The first favors black and white graphics, the second gives pride of place to bright pop colors. We're having a blast!
“Penn & Fashion” at the European House of Photography
The MEP presents the Penn & Fashion exhibition. Inaugurating the institution's 30th anniversary season, it pays tribute to one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. “The exhibition has an exceptional character, explains Julie Jones, director of the MEP, because it is the meeting of several collections: that of the MEP – there are more than 130 images of Irving Penn in our collections from the 1990s to today –, the collaboration with the Irving Penn Foundation in New York and the Nicola Erni collection, which is one of the largest collections in the world of fashion photographs in particular, but not only. We are very happy to bring together a small part of these very large collections today in this project."
Author of a work always ahead of his time, Irving Penn (born in 1917 in Plainfield and died in 2009 in New York) marked the history of fashion photography thanks to his collaboration of more than sixty years with Vogue magazine. From the shooting to the printing, which he produced himself, he paid extreme attention to each stage of the creative process, making the platinum-palladium process a true signature. His refined aesthetic, like his mastery of composition, has influenced generations of photographers.
The chronological journey follows the career of Irving Penn from 1947 to 2008. It begins in the 1950s, with the presentation of his legendary photographs of Parisian haute couture collections such as Dior and Balenciaga, magnified by the greatest models of the time, such as Lisa Fonssagrives and Jean Patchett. In the 1970s, the creations of Ungaro and Courrèges and the extravagant outfits worn by Marisa Berenson or Lauren Hutton caught the photographer's attention, then in the following decade, the creations of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.
On the second floor, an entire room is devoted to his collaboration with Japanese designer Issey Miyake, whose sculptural clothing interacts with his refined photographic style. The photos are sublime. To end this journey, you absolutely must take the time to stop in front of a short video, new and fabulous, dedicated to the 1994 collection, which takes the form of a cartoon. "Irving never attended a Miyake show and Issey never went to Penn's studio, but there was a respect and a freedom between these two men and we wanted people to understand their collaboration. Midori Kitamura, president of the Miyake Design Studio and the Issey Miyake Foundation – the person closest to designer Issey Miyake since almost the beginning in Tokyo – participated in this video. Her voice is heard on the soundtrack of this video which shows how their collaboration worked", explains the Issey Miyake house.
Over the past three decades of creation, Irving Penn has maintained a consistent line: an emphasis on silhouettes, volumes and textures. He photographs in color the dresses designed by John Galliano or the opulent models of Christian Lacroix as well as the feather headdresses of Chanel. Finally, his striking images for the beauty pages of Vogue magazine in the 1990s and 2000s demonstrate the creativity and modernity of this artist. His work is characterized by an aesthetic of elegant simplicity. Each image is the result of a long process of reflection to result in timeless compositions transposed into sophisticated printing techniques, often becoming icons in the history of photography.
Penn & Fashion at the European House of Photography until January 17, 2027.
“Rafael Pavarotti. Photographer” at MAD
The Museum of Decorative Arts presents for the first time in France the work of Brazilian photographer Rafael Pavarotti. More than 200 prints are presented alongside photographs from the museum, from the covers of major fashion magazines to portraits of international pop culture stars such as Rihanna, Harry Styles and Beyoncé, including the campaigns he has created for major fashion houses.
From this exhibition emerges a colorful and powerful style, creating strong and unique images. It is an explosion of bright and vibrant colors, green, blue, red, yellow, orange and on black models, the photo stands out and undeniably attracts: the photographer has developed an immediately recognizable visual signature, mixing light, texture and affirmation of identities. “I became aware of the importance of color through the place it occupies both in landscapes and domestic space,” explains the photographer. Its visual language is based on images with intense colors, which amplify the expressiveness of the models and celebrate strong, free and visible feminine figures. He frequently represents them as empresses, goddesses, queens or warriors, always conscious of their political, social and seductive power.
The personal story of Rafael Pavarotti, born in the state of Para in the Amazon rainforest in 1993, resonates in his approach to photography: the strong women of his family, the brightly colored tableware of his grandmother, but also the natural environment in which he grew up occupy an important place in his sources of inspiration.
Rafael Pavarotti began photography on his own at the age of 12 by stealing his father's camera. Four years later, attracted by fashion photography, he left for Rio, then Sao Paulo, London, before settling in Paris. He produces numerous series for prestigious fashion magazines such as Vogue, Acne Paper and even the New York Times. His photographic style stands out in the world of fashion and marks the campaigns of many houses such as Dior, Balmain, Margiela, Ferragamo and L'Oréal.
In February 2022, he stood out for the cover of British Vogue with As the World Turns which features nine black models. Afro-indigenous, Rafael Pavarotti says he wants to work for future generations by creating models that will allow all children to recognize and project themselves, regardless of the color of their skin. By highlighting bodies that are little represented in fashion, he questions the political and social dimension of this industry. He transmits this message through colorful, powerful photographs, sometimes playing with a pop or surrealist spirit and which tell stories: his own, but also those of the models whose memories and ideas he solicits.
