Untitled
Guy Bourdin
Description
Subject Matter:
This is a chromogenic reproduction of a plate from Sighs and Whispers. Bourdin was commissioned by Arthur Cohen, the vice president of Bloomingdale’s, to produce this photographic series for the store’s September 1976 lingerie catalog. The catalog quickly became a collector's item, due to the scarcity of Bourdin's work. He rarely chose to reproduce his photographs in contexts other than magazines and catalogs. This series exemplifies Bourdin's atypical and boundary-pushing approach to fashion photography. The series references but does not create narrative through the deployment of tableau and B-movie aesthetics. Bourdin employed formal devices such as cropped interior spaces, dramatic lighting, cast shadows, and often-overt references to sexuality, which were strategies that he utilized throughout his career. When this catalog was released in America, it was met with mixed reviews and controversy, much like his notorious work for Charles Jourdan Shoes in France in preceding decades.
Physical Description:
A color photograph of two models standing in the center of the frame. The model to the left wears a dark navy satin nightgown. She turns her body toward the left side of the frame, gathering the gown in her right hand. The model to the right wears a bright red gown and faces the wall, turning to the side as if to tell a secret.
Usage Rights:
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