Paolo Roversi is one of the most esteemed fashion photographers currently working. His preferences when working in his Paris studio , are a back drop of a ragged grey blanket, bare timber boards and a selection of beaten up chairs and stools that provide his only set, giving photographs which in the most minimal way catch the heart and mind of his subjects. With a seemingly effortless perfection, Roversi has returned time and again to a series of muses, in this case to Guinevere Van Seenus whom he has photographed consistently in the many roles she has played within his simple set. Roversi’s precision is evident too in the tireless printing and re-printing as he aspires for perfection in the dark room. He still prints his work with his son Filippo, in his Paris studio. In this exhibition we see a series of singular platinum, silver gelatin and pigment prints, evidence of his passion for craft and technique.
Born in Ravenna in 1947, Paolo Roversi has collaborated with Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Yves Saint-Laurent, Christian Dior, Valentino and many influential designers.
Paolo Roversi moved to Paris in 1973, where he worked as an assistant to esteemed British photographer Lawrence Sackmann, before he started collaborating with magazines such as Elle, Depeche Mode and Marie Claire. In the 1980s, he started using large format 8 x 10” instant Polaroid films for most of his photographs, both colour and black and white, developing his signature style, which, together with his preference for the studio, has resulted in some of the most iconic portraits of the 20th century.
Paolo Roversi
Until 31st March, 2012
The Wapping Project Bankside
65a Hopton Street
London SE1
United-Kingdom
