LUCIEN CLERGUE | vie et mort

May 31 - June 23, 2018

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 31st, 6 – 9 pm

Odon Wagner Contemporary is pleased to present the second retrospective of Lucien Clergue (1934-2014), the pioneering French photographer who indelibly changed the landscape of art photography. This exhibition explores the oeuvre of this internationally renowned artist, showcasing Clergue’s evolution from his earliest nudes on the beach of Camargue to the stylized abstraction of his later Nude Zebra series, alongside his intimate Centenary Portfolio detailing his friendship with Pablo Picasso.

Heralded by the New York Times, his obituary read “Master and Promoter of Art Photography”, a fair assessment considering his establishment of the largest international photography festival Les Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles (founded in 1970), a wordless doctoral dissertation from the University of Provence (1979), and an Academy Award nomination for his short film Delta de Sel. Although rooted in the stylistic doctrines of Surrealism and Modernism, Clergue’s continued experimentation sought to renew the power of photography through his thoughtful creations that captured his undying commitment to represent beauty.

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