PRODUCTION BERLIN | Jean-Daniel Lorieux »True Blue«

PRODUCTION BERLIN and Kirsten Hermann GALERIE FÜR MODERNE FOTOGRAFIE cordially invite you to the opening of “True Blue”, the first solo exhibition of French photographer Jean-Daniel Lorieux (b. 1937) in Berlin. Lorieux, one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 20th century, rose to prominence in the 1970s and 80s with his work for Vogue USA, Vogue France, L’Officiel and Harper’s Bazaar as well as renowned fashion houses including Dior, Lanvin, Paco Rabanne, Céline, Pierre Cardin, Guy Laroche, Courrèges, Scherrer and Ricci.

Lorieux’s keen sense of beauty may have been born out of his real-world observations of tragedy – in the early 1960s, after briefly studying engineering, he served as a photographer and filmmaker for two years at the height of the Algerian War. As a war photographer Lorieux was uncompromising. This characteristic translates into his fashion work, although with a very different result. As he once observed,

I decided to express dreams
and happiness in pictures.”

Lorieux’s work is marked by his use of vivid colors, sensual vitality and spacious compositions. In many of the images, bright blue skies, tranquil waters and stunning physiques epitomize the era’s fashion and beauty ideals. He was one of the first fashion photographers to travel extensively for his work, shooting in sun-splashed locations ranging from Tunisia to Mauritius. Among the most iconic of his images are those that attain a dream-like quality, as can be seen in a series shot for VdeV swimsuits with model Triffina Hout in 1986. Here, deeply bronzed women lounge on the beach or in the water, their skin glistening as they strike sublimely powerful poses.

The visual aesthetic of Lorieux’s work bridges the optimistic exuberance of the 1970s and the cultures of new consumerism in the 1980s and 90s. Inspired by pop art, his signature photographs combine high contrast colors with graphic shapes. Working with some of the top names of his time, including Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour, Karen Mulder, Milla Jovovich and Linda Evangelista, his models bear feminine physiques that radiating a confidently overt sexuality. The exhibition highlights his work in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, a period when he honed his unique aesthetic.

– Alicia Reuter

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