Paolo Roversi

Roversi was born in Italy but moved to Paris in 1973. Since then, he has worked for the most prestigious magazines, including Vogue France, Vogue Italia, Egoïste and Luncheon. Throughout his career he has worked with the world’s leading fashion designers, most notably Yohji Yamamoto, Romeo Gigli and Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons. Since his years as an apprentice, Roversi’s choice of studio, large-format cameras and Polaroid have defined both his working methods and his aesthetic, although he has also successfully adapted to digital photography. His signature is instantly recognisable: soft, sepia-toned black and white, shot in natural light; a density and depth of colour achieved by using a Mag-Lite flashlight. Over the years, Paolo Roversi has explored and invented his own photographic language, accepting chance and accidents as opportunities to develop his style. He has worked with many of the world’s top models, their invariably natural poses for him creating an intense presence. For Paolo Roversi, every photograph is a portrait. He is at the heart of the system but, at the same time, he manages to maintain a certain distance, far removed from the ephemeral currents of fashion. In pursuit of beauty, he has created a singular, timeless body of work. This exhibition brings together 140 works, including previously unseen images, Polaroid prints and archives (magazines, catalogues, etc.) that give an insight into Paolo Roversi’s professional and artistic career. The scenography takes visitors on a poetic journey out of the shade and into the light. The Palais Galliera becomes the artist’s studio, an imaginary space, the theatre of everything possible.