The year 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of relations between France and China, and the legendary Studio Harcourt celebrated its 80th anniversary. The oldest active photography studio in the world opened in Paris in 1934, named after its founder, the photographer Cosette Harcourt.
Her long and brilliant career is inseparable from French cinema, arts and letters, through the glamour, the myth, the stars and the distinct style of lighting in her photo studio, inspired by Henri Alekan, the director of photography on Jean Cocteau’s film La Belle et la Bête (1946), which makes the subject’s face and body stand out from the dark surroundings.
Harcourt’s unique collection of 1,500 celebrity portraits is now a part of the French cultural heritage. In the era of digital cameras and “selfies,” the Studio Harcourt in Paris is more than ever the object of inspiration and admiration for its transcendence of the photographic portraits. Its art lies in its transfigurative power: Harcourt transforms each model into an “actor,” giving their faces an unusual glow.
Read the full article on the French version of L’Oeil.
Jean Loh
EXHIBITION
80 Portraits of Studio Harcourt
Through January 30th 2015
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dalian
35 Shengli street, Xigang district
Dalian, 116011
China
Tel : +86-411-8254 0584
