“You don’t take a picture,
you give a picture (...)
the picture is always inside of you.”
“You don’t take a picture, you give a picture (...) the picture is always inside of you.”
Presenting artworks by renowned fasion photographer Paolo Roversi (b.1947, Ravenna). Working directly with the studio in Paris, we selected images from 1988 to 2017 including shots for Vogue, Dior and Comme des Garcons, with many exhibited at international museums and art fairs.
Whether made with his trademark Deardorff 8 x 10 camera and Polaroid film or as carbon prints, Roversi’s photographs eloquently bridge the spheres of commercial photography and fine art. His timeless work, admired for his ethereal lighting and shadows, fuses delicacy and strength.
CONTEXT
Paolo Roversi moved to Paris in 1973 and began forging his reputation in the ‘80s, developing a style that was classic yet original. HIs aesthetic evolved from a distinctive approach: using a 20 25 format Polaroid alongside references drawing on Roman and Byzantine art,
a nod to his youth in Ravenna.
The recognisable soft focus in Roversi’s photo- graphs recalls the origins of fashion photogra- phy, whilst embracing movment, abandon and the unexpected. Model, dress, form and background fuse. Elements in the composition radiate light, evoking a realm beyond time and place. In his im- ages, we see soaul, and experience myth.
“Mystery, secrets and accidents
are the main ingredients
of my work.”
“Mystery, secrets and accidents are the main ingredients of my work.”
ARTWORK DETAILS
All photographs sourced directly from Paolo Roversi’s studio. The images are available in varying sizes and via different techniques from textured Carbon print* to high-gloss chromogenic prints, silver gelatin,platinum and original unique Polaroids.
Carbon printing is a complex traditional process requiring special conditions, paper and expertise. With only 2 studios in the world still making them, Roversi describes his printer in Seattle as “a magician”.
“Photography reveals especially what isn’t there -
it shows the invisible.”
“Photography reveals
especially what isn’t there
- it shows the invisible.”
RECOGNITION
Roversi’s work has been exhibited internationally, including: Museo d’Arte della città diRavenna, Italy’ (2021); Dallas Contemporary, Texas (2020); Shanghai Centre ofPhotography (2020) ; C/O Berlin (2016); ICP, New York (2009).
His work is held in the collections of: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; TheMuseum of Modern Art, New York; National Portrait Gallery, London; Victoria & AlbertMuseum, London.
Roversi was invited to produce the prestigious Pirelli Calendar in 2020, and has published more than 10 books.
He has led advertising campaigns for: Cerruti, Comme des Garçons, Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent and Valentino. And has been published in: Harper’s Bazaar, I-D,Interview, Marie-Claire, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, W, and more.
