Lucien Clergue
Lucien Clergue | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 15 November 2014 Nîmes, France | (aged 80)
Nationality | French |
Occupation | Photographer |
Website | lucien-clergue |
Lucien Clergue (French: [klɛʁg]; 14 August 1934 – 15 November 2014)[1] was a French photographer. He was Chairman of the Academy of Fine Arts, Paris for 2013.
Biography
Lucien Clergue was born in Arles, France. At the age of 7 he began learning to play the violin, and after several years of study his teacher admitted that he had nothing more to teach him. Clergue was from a family of shopkeepers and could not afford to pursue further studies in a college or university school of music, such as a conservatory.
In 1949, he learned the basics of photography. Four years later, at a
Friendship with Picasso
On 4 November 1955 Lucien Clergue visited Picasso in Cannes, France. Their friendship lasted nearly 30 years until Picasso's death. Clergue's autobiographical book, Picasso My Friend, looks back on important moments of their relationship.
Founding the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival
In 1968, and with his friend
Clergue also illustrated books, among them a book by writer Yves Navarre.
Clergue took many photographs of the gypsies of southern France, and was instrumental in propelling the guitarist Manitas de Plata to fame.
Clergue's photographs are in the collections of numerous well-known museums and private collectors. His photographs have been exhibited in over 100 solo exhibitions worldwide, with noted exhibitions such as in 1961, at the
In 2007, the city of Arles honored Lucien Clergue and dedicated a retrospective collection of 360 of his photographs dating from 1953 to 2007. He also received the 2007 Lucie Award.[4]
Election as Member of the Academy of Fine Arts
He was named Knight of the
He was Chairman of the Academy of Fine Arts for 2013.
Personal life
Lucien Clergue was married to the art curator Yolande Clergue, founder of The Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles. He was the father of two daughters: Anne Clergue, a curator of contemporary art who has worked at Leo Castelli Gallery, and Olivia Clergue, a handbag fashion designer whose godfather was Pablo Picasso.
Publications
- Corps mémorable, Pierre Seghers editions, Paris, 1957. Poems by Paul Éluard, cover by Pablo Picasso, introductory poem by Jean Cocteau.
- Re-released in 1960 without Cocteau's poem, then in 1963 in a German version where censors imposed changes to one of the dozen photos. It was again re-released in 1965 with all the text in black.
- In 1969, an updated edition with added photos and new marquetry was published.
- In 1996, on the occasion of the poet's centenary, another edition was published with new photos and a marquette designed by Massin (ISBN 978-2-221-08423-6).
- In 2003, a final edition was released. An exposition organized by the Carré d'Art of Nîmes at the end of 2006 celebrated the 50-year anniversary of this legendary work.
- Poésie Photographique = Photographic Poetry. Munich, Germany: ISBN 3-7913-2850-6. With a foreword by Manfred Heiting and a contribution by Ivo Kranzfelder. English, French and German editions.
- Langage des Sables, Agep, Marseilles, 1980, ISBN 2-902634-08-0
- Portraits, Actes Sud, Arles, 2005, ISBN 2-7427-5423-7
- Toros Muertos (1966) published in the U.S. by Brussel & Brussel. This was a 48-page collection of images of the Spanish bullfights.
- ISBN 978-3-7757-3313-7
- Jean Cocteau and The Testament of Orpheus. New York: Viking Studio, 2001 ISBN 0-670-89258-0
Notes
- ^ "Lucien Clergue - obituary". The Telegraph. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ Museo cantonale d'arte of Lugano: Lucien Clergue
- ^ "Lucien Clergue | Photography Exhibition | Westwood Gallery NYC Soho Fine Art Gallery". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ^ http://lucieawards.org/LuciePhotoGallery/Arles06.html[permanent dead link]