In the Paris offices of the international law firm Baker & McKenzie, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie presents an exhibition showcasing the two major components of its collections: photo books and exhibition prints.
The exhibition, which features over twenty works by eight international artists, from the collections of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) in Paris, is inspired by the international reputation of the law firm Baker & McKenzie, founded in 1949 in Chicago and today maintaining offices in 47 countries.
The exhibition opens with a luminous image by the Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert, reminiscent of Auguste Renoir’s impressionist paintings, and goes on to present a few landmark publications from the MEP library collections. Upstairs, a whole room is devoted to the work of the French artist Georges Rousse, whose work dates back to the construction of the museum. Moved by the poetry of abandoned places, this archeologist of the invisible also creates ephemeral installations which can only be seen from a single vantage point—that of a camera lens. The Frenchman Bernard Faucon, one of the first to experiment with photographic mise-en-scène, presents poetic images from his series Évolution probable du temps [The Probable Evolution of Time]—dream-like, mysterious compositions evoking childhood magic.
The works of the American Ralph Gibson, a master of graphic arts, on the other hand, oscillate between pure abstraction and narration. Viewed by the Brazilian artist Rogério Reis, Rio de Janeiro beaches become a pretext for raising the question of image rights with humor and sensuality. Like waking dreams, the uncanny, haunted images of the legendary filmmaker David Lynch bring to mind paintings by Magritte or de Chirico. The photographs of Gianni Berengo Gardin, nicknamed the “Italian Cartier-Bresson”—author, among others, of the famous photograph Vaporetto, Venice with its stunning mirror reflections—reveal intense and elegant humanism. In a video by the Italian artist Beatrice Pediconi, patches of light seem to be dancing as they transform in turn into jellyfish, clouds, puffs of smoke, and the Milky Way. All these artists invite us on a poetic journey where beauty, color, and light sweep the viewer into a realm of dreams and harmony.
Jean-Luc Monterosso, Director of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie
La Photographie à livre ouvert—Selected works from the MEP collections
Baker & McKenzie Paris
1, rue Paul Baudry
75008 Paris France
http://www.bakermckenzie.com/
