The renovated ‘Jeu de Paume‘ gallery in Paris was inaugarated on June 24th with a retrospective of Guy Bourdin, the influential photographer known for his intense and dramatic fashion photographs.

Madonna‘s fans know Bourdin well as the inspiration of her “Hollywood” video, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino. They probably also remember the recent results of the controversy started by the son of Guy Bourdin, and the debate discussing the video as an homage to the french photographer or a rip off of his body of work.

Madonnatribe had the chance to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition in London last year, the same that Madonna visited with her daughter Lourdes a few weeks before the Hollywood video was shot. This exhibition, which runs in Paris until September 12, is a follow up of the London one, as part of a Guy Bourdin Tour that already visited the National Gallery Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this year.

French fans and fans from all over the world meeting in Paris for the re-Invention tour in Bercy have now a golden chance to dedicate a few hours to visit the exhibition and experience live the breathtaking imagery of this incredible artist.

Bourdin‘s heyday in the 1970s saw his images featured in the pages of top fashion magazines. He made it clear that we are seduced by the fashion image rather than the product the image promotes. While he produced famous images, he compulsively photographed and filmed his observations of the world in which he moved. This exhibition brings together both these published and private aspects of his work for the first time.

Guy Bourdin
Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume
24 Jun 2004 – 12 Sep 2004
Opening Hours: Tuesday 12pm-9.30pm; Wednesday to Friday 12pm-7pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am-7pm, closed on Monday
1, Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, 75001
Tel: +33 (0) 1 42 60 69 69
Metro: Place de la Concorde.

Thanks to our Team and French Forum member Loviku for bringing this to our readers’ attention.