Bettina Rheims
Encyclopedia
Bettina Rheims is a French
artist
and photographer. She is the daughter of Maurice Rheims
, of the French Academy
. Her sister Nathalie is an actress, writer and film producer. Her son Virgile Bramly is an actor.
, a journalist, and opening an art gallery, she began to be a photographer in 1978 at the age of 26. Initially she did many commissioned works such as albums covers for Jean-Jacques Goldman
and photos of various stars.
From 1980 she devoted herself solely to photography. She made a series of photographs of strip-tease artists and acrobats, which were shown 1981 in two personal exhibitions, at the Centre Pompidou and at the Galerie Texbraun in Paris. Encouraged by this success, she worked on a series of stuffed animal portraits, which were exhibited in Paris and New York.
At the same time she took portrait images for worldwide magazines and advertising campaigns (Well and Chanel), created her first fashion series, worked on cover sleeves, and film posters, and in 1986 directed her first advertising campaign.
In 1989 her portraits of women were published in a monograph, Female Trouble, and were exhibited in Germany and Japan. In the following year she made a series of portraits of androgynous teenagers, Modern Lovers, which were shown in France, Great Britain and the United States as well as being issued in book-form.
Her series Chambre Close, which was realized between 1990 and 1992 in collaboration with Serge Bramly
, had an immense success not only in Europe but all over the world. The book is a collection of photographs of nude young women in various postures. It became a bestseller and is regularly reprinted.
In the following years her fame began to become worldwide and she is renowned as a one of the most important photographers not only in Europe, but also in the United States, Japan, Korea, Australia and Moscow.
, President of the French Republic.
In 1998, she published, with Serge Bramly
, I.N.R.I., retracing the life of Jesus
in contemporary settings. Controversial in Christian
circles, the book was published simultaneously in several countries (France, Germany, USA and Japan), evoking a scandal in France in particular. The exhibition is still touring in different museums in Europe.
In 2000, she published X’Mas, a series of photographs of young girls discovering their femininity.
In 2003 her book Shanghai, realized together with Serge Bramly, after a 6 month stay in the city, was published by Robert Laffont. The book portrayed the city through the images of women of different backgrounds.
In 2004 her book More Trouble, retraced ten years of her photography, mostly of famous women. At the same time her work was shown in a major retrospective, the first venues for which were Helsinki, Oslo, Vienna, Düsseldorf and Brussels.
In 2007, book "Heroines. Bettina Rheims' 2005 photo series of 50 women sporting the newest Parisian haute couture creations provides answers that range from perplexing to provocative.
Her last publication The Book Of Olga, realized in 2008 on behalf of the Russian millionaire Sergey Rodionov, was her first remittance work which portrayed his wife Olga Rodionova
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and photographer. She is the daughter of Maurice Rheims
Maurice Rheims
Maurice Rheims was a French 'commissaire-priseur', art historian and novelist.-Partial bibliography:...
, of the French Academy
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
. Her sister Nathalie is an actress, writer and film producer. Her son Virgile Bramly is an actor.
Life
After having been a modelModel (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, a journalist, and opening an art gallery, she began to be a photographer in 1978 at the age of 26. Initially she did many commissioned works such as albums covers for Jean-Jacques Goldman
Jean-Jacques Goldman
Jean-Jacques Goldman is a Grammy Awards-winning French singer-songwriter. He is hugely popular in the French-speaking world, and since 2003 was the second-highest-grossing French living pop singer, after Johnny Hallyday.- Biography :...
and photos of various stars.
From 1980 she devoted herself solely to photography. She made a series of photographs of strip-tease artists and acrobats, which were shown 1981 in two personal exhibitions, at the Centre Pompidou and at the Galerie Texbraun in Paris. Encouraged by this success, she worked on a series of stuffed animal portraits, which were exhibited in Paris and New York.
At the same time she took portrait images for worldwide magazines and advertising campaigns (Well and Chanel), created her first fashion series, worked on cover sleeves, and film posters, and in 1986 directed her first advertising campaign.
In 1989 her portraits of women were published in a monograph, Female Trouble, and were exhibited in Germany and Japan. In the following year she made a series of portraits of androgynous teenagers, Modern Lovers, which were shown in France, Great Britain and the United States as well as being issued in book-form.
Her series Chambre Close, which was realized between 1990 and 1992 in collaboration with Serge Bramly
Serge Bramly
Serge Bramly is a French language writer and essayist.-Biography:He was born into a Jewish family in Tunis, Tunisia. When he was ten years old, his family emigrated to France...
, had an immense success not only in Europe but all over the world. The book is a collection of photographs of nude young women in various postures. It became a bestseller and is regularly reprinted.
In the following years her fame began to become worldwide and she is renowned as a one of the most important photographers not only in Europe, but also in the United States, Japan, Korea, Australia and Moscow.
Career
In 1995, she took the official portrait photograph of Jacques ChiracJacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, President of the French Republic.
In 1998, she published, with Serge Bramly
Serge Bramly
Serge Bramly is a French language writer and essayist.-Biography:He was born into a Jewish family in Tunis, Tunisia. When he was ten years old, his family emigrated to France...
, I.N.R.I., retracing the life of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
in contemporary settings. Controversial in Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
circles, the book was published simultaneously in several countries (France, Germany, USA and Japan), evoking a scandal in France in particular. The exhibition is still touring in different museums in Europe.
In 2000, she published X’Mas, a series of photographs of young girls discovering their femininity.
In 2003 her book Shanghai, realized together with Serge Bramly, after a 6 month stay in the city, was published by Robert Laffont. The book portrayed the city through the images of women of different backgrounds.
In 2004 her book More Trouble, retraced ten years of her photography, mostly of famous women. At the same time her work was shown in a major retrospective, the first venues for which were Helsinki, Oslo, Vienna, Düsseldorf and Brussels.
In 2007, book "Heroines. Bettina Rheims' 2005 photo series of 50 women sporting the newest Parisian haute couture creations provides answers that range from perplexing to provocative.
Her last publication The Book Of Olga, realized in 2008 on behalf of the Russian millionaire Sergey Rodionov, was her first remittance work which portrayed his wife Olga Rodionova
Olga Rodionova
Olga Rodionova is a model, actress and TV presenter from Russia and Croatia. Owner of PR-agency "Constellation"As a model, Olga Rodionova has worked with some of the best fashion photographers in the world, including Helmut Newton, David LaChapelle, Peter Lindbergh, Terry Richardson, Sante...
.