Polaroid presents the exhibition of Robby Müller: Like the sunlight crossing the clouds. This is the first major exhibition dedicated to Polaroid instant photography by Robby Müller, the famous Dutch director of photography, since his death in July 2018 (born in 1940 in Curaçao – died in 2018 in Amsterdam).
The works of the artist will be exhibited from 1st to 28th July 2019 in Arles (12 Place de la Republique) on the occasion of the 50th edition of the famous photography festival: Les Rencontres D’Arles. During this exhibition, more than 100 personal and unpublished Polaroid photos from the early 1970s to the end of the 1990s will be exhibited, as well as ephemeral prints and limited editions. Visitors to the Arles Photography Festival will have the rare opportunity to discover Müller’s poetic aesthetic that has permeated his cinematographic imagery and elevated him to the rank of “master of light”.
Virtuoso image, able to perfectly capture and tame the light by expertly distilling its lighting, Robby Müller was one of the most important directors of photography in the history of modern cinema. His talent was expressed in the cinema during a prolific career, marked by collaborations with illustrious directors such as Wim Wenders (‘Paris, Texas’ in 1984), Jim Jarmusch (‘Down By Law’ in 1986) and Lars von Trier (‘Breaking the Waves’ in 1996).
A less well-known facet of Müller’s artistic creation is his extensive production of Polaroid works. Immortalized with Polaroid cameras SX-70, 600 and Spectra, his atmospheric photographs served as a visual notebook and are a fascinating testimony to his experimental and artistic work. In his spare moments between filming, he captured everyday life: Cadillac cars, hotel rooms, still lifes or abstract patterns across the urban landscapes of the United States and around the world, composing his images through the lens and emblematic format of the Polaroid.
His Polaroid works testify to Müller’s natural sensitivity and control of light. He often made his shots at twilight, during the “blue hour”, to create scenes from another world. These timeless moments illustrate Müller’s spirit and eyes and show how his experimental photographic work can be felt through his most memorable film compositions. An unpublished series of Polaroid photos by Müller will also be presented, revealing the artist’s personal interest in nature. Influenced by his childhood in Indonesia, Müller soon became passionate about this shimmering environment, where the flora and fauna are so flourishing. He even considers for a while a career as a biologist. His travels around the world, through botanical gardens, parks and forests, captivated him and fueled his imagination throughout his life. Thanks to Polaroid cameras and films, Müller has magnified the colors and tones of nature, and this is intensely felt in his work.
Born on the island of Curaçao in 1940, then part of the Netherlands Antilles, Robby Müller moved to Indonesia with his family, then to Amsterdam at 13. After studying at the Netherlands Film Academy, he became apprentice to filmmaker Gerard Vandenberg and worked as an assistant cameraman for several of his feature films in the Netherlands and Germany. He then began a career as director of photography for short films, including ‘Alabama: 2000 Light Years from Home’ for Wim Wenders in 1969, then a student at the Munich Film School. Müller has made a huge contribution to the success of a generation of independent filmmakers from the 1970s. He is one of the few cameramen, like Vittorio Storaro, Nestor Almendros or Sven Nykvist, to have successfully managed careers in art cinema, Hollywood cinema and in very personal films by independent filmmakers.
Robby Müller : Like sunlight coming through the clouds
from 1st to 28th July 2019
12 Place de la République
Arles, France 13200
