The British photographer John Stewart died last Friday, March 10th, in Paris, aged 98. We had talked on the phone just a few days before, and he was full of plans. He had just sent me a remarkable “meditation,” a text on photography and the fleeting nature of time.
When I first met John Stewart, I was immediately struck by his keen mind, his erudition, his love of life, and his flawless insights about others. He was always very attentive toward other people.
John was a “gentleman photographer,” as Henri Cartier-Bresson aptly put it. I invited him to exhibit his “Les Véroniques” at my Arles gallery in 2014. The success of the exhibition inspired him to compose a new, original, color series on the theme of the natural headlands of the Camargue. He also continued to pursue his work on drapery and folds, inspired by Zurbaran.
He loved Arles, and donated one of his works to the Musée Réattu collections. Arles repaid him well: he received the Medal of the City of Arles, as a war hero.
I will continue to promote his work and exhibit his oeuvre. John Stewart was a great photographer who keeps enriching our lives and showing us “the skin of things.”
Anne Clergue
Anne Clergue heads the Anne Clergue Gallery in Arles and is the eldest daughter of Lucien Clergue.
Funeral services will be held for John Stewart on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 10 a.m.
Coupole du Père Lachaise, 71 rue des Rondeaux
75020 Paris, France
Learn more about John Stewart at:
http://www.anneleclergue.fr/john-stewart
http://john-stewart-photography.net/intro.html
Anne Clergue Galerie
12 plan de la Cour
13200 Arles
France
