BRIGITTE BARDOT

AN EXHIBITION featuring rarely seen vintage prints of Brigitte Bardot, Brigitte Bardot and the Original Paparazzi, will be on display at James Hyman Gallery from September 3 to October 3, 2009.

Focusing on one of the great fashion icons of the twentieth century, the exhibition is being presented at the same time as London Fashion Week (September 18 to September 22) and coincides with Bardot’s 75th birthday on September 28.

The exhibition traces the development of a new genre of photography, showing how Bardot and the paparazzi created a whole new image of womanhood, female sexuality and youth fashion via a candid a photographic style that swiftly replaced the more controlled imagery produced by film studio publicity units.

 

The exhibition also times with the 50th anniversary of the birth of paparazzi, and includes vintage prints by the most famous of all the paparazzi: Tazio Secchiaroli (1925 – 1998), the basis for Fellini’s character in his seminal film La Dolce Vita (1959).

The show also includes many beautiful and rarely seen prints, including Bardot on the set of Godard’s seminal film Le Mepris; chiming perfectly with Jean Paul Gaultier’s current interest in the film and the inspiration for his 2010 collection, to be modeled by Bardot lookalike Lara Stone at London Fashion Week.

 

 

James Hyman Gallery : Brigitte Bardot et le paparazzi original

À temps pour le 75e anniversaire de Brigitte Bardot le 28 septembre prochain, la James Hyman Gallery nous fait plaisir avec une exposition de 75 photographies vintage de la blonde légendaire de plusieurs des plus célèbres photographes paparazzi de son époque. Ceci s’assortit parfaitement à la Fashion Week de Londres (du 18 au 22 septembre), après tout, Bardot est une des grandes icônes de la mode du 20e siècle. L’exposition présente quelques motifs rares et certains encore jamais publiés ni exposés.

L’exposition tombe aussi en même temps que le 50e anniversaire du concept de paparazzi et en profite pour nous éclairer sur la naissance d’un nouveau genre photographique – d’un délire VIP, pourrait-on dire. Il s’agit ici encore des débuts naïfs du genre, puis de la tentative de reconquête du contrôle que les grands studios de cinéma s’étaient arrogés en ce qui concerne l’image de la star.

Brigitte Bardot fut une des premières à agir plus ou moins en coopération avec les paparazzis pour se créer sa propre image – une image qui perdure encore aujourd’hui derrière les murs de sa cachette à St. Tropez. Les photos ou plutôt l’image représente un personnage fabuleux – un rêve érotique hétéro émancipé, vierge mais lavé de toutes les eaux.

L’exposition montre entre autres des impressions rares de deux des plus grands paparazzis Tazio Secchiaroli (1925-1998) – un exemple pour le paparazzi du film de Fellini La Dolce Vita de 1960 – et Marcello Geppetti. Mais aussi Roger Corbeau, Loomis Dean, Walter Limot, David Magnus, Patrick Morin et Claude Schwartz y sont représentés.

Brigitte Bardot and the Original Paparazzi est structurée par thèmes – de la pose à l’instantané, du privé au public, du studio à la rue. Et St. Tropez ne manque pas non plus. Pour tous ceux qui ne pourront se rendre à Londres, en voici quelques motifs ici, chez GoSee.

*Os paparazzi são associados a fenómenos como a invasão da vida privada. Mas em meados do século XX captavam estrelas como Brigitte Bardot, em imagens que hoje são consideradas obras de arte.Para Hyman, a diferença dos paparazzi daquela época é que estes não se limitavam a ter “uma grande lente e a invadir a privacidade das pessoas”.

Até dia 3 de Outubro, será possível ver 75 destas fotografias, assinadas por alguns dos mais famosos fotógrafos de celebridades das décadas de 50 e 60, na galeria James Hyman, em Londres, numa mostra intitulada “Brigitte Bardot e os primeiros paparazzi”.

A exposição Brigitte Bardot And The Original Paparazzi comemorará o aniversário de 75 anos de Brigitte e ficará aberta a visitação durante um mês, com entrada franca. Tudo está marcado já para começar no dia 3 de setembro próximo e segue até 3 de outubro.

Brigitte Bardot and the Original Paparazzi
An exhibition of rare original vintage photographs James Hyman Gallery
03.09.2009 – 03.10.2009
5 Savile Row, London W1S 3PD

Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot  (born 28 September 1934) is a French animal welfare/rights activist and a former actress, fashion model and singer.

In her early life Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer. She started her acting career in 1952 and after appearing in 16 films became world-famous due to her role in the controversial film And God Created Woman. During her career in show business Bardot starred in 48 films, performed in numerous musical shows, and recorded 80 songs. After her retirement from the entertainment industry in 1973, Bardot established herself as an animal rights activist. During the 1990s she became outspoken in her criticism of immigration, some aspects of homosexuality and Islam in France, and has been convicted five times for “inciting racial hatred“.

Brigitte Bardot was born in Paris to Anne-Marie ‘Toty’ Mucel (1912–1978) and Louis ‘Pilou’ Bardot (1896–1975). Her father had an engineering degree and worked with her grandfather in the family business. Toty was sixteen years younger and they married in 1933. Brigitte’s mother enrolled her and her younger sister Marie-Jeanne (‘Mijanou’, born 5 May 1938) in dance. Mijanou eventually gave up on dancing lessons to complete her education, whereas Brigitte decided to concentrate on a ballet career. In 1947, Bardot was accepted to The National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance and for three years attended the ballet classes of Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev. (One of her classmates was Leslie Caron). By the invitation of her mother’s acquaintance, she modeled in a fashion show in 1949. In the same year she modeled for a fashion magazine “Jardin des Modes” managed by another friend of her mother, journalist Hélène Lazareff. She appeared on a 8 March 1950 cover of ELLE.and was noticed by a young film director Roger Vadim. He showed an issue of the magazine to director and screenwriter Marc Allégret, who offered Bardot the opportunity to audition for “Les lauriers sont coupés” thereafter. Although Bardot got the role, the shooting of the film was canceled, but it made her consider becoming an actress. Moreover, her acquaintance with Vadim, who attended the audition, influenced her further life and career.

She participated in various musical shows and recorded many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Zagury and Sacha Distelincluding “Harley Davidson”, “Je Me Donne A Qui Me Plait”, “Bubble gum”, “Contact”, “Je Reviendrais Toujours Vers Toi”, “L’Appareil A Sous”, “La Madrague”, “On Demenage”, “Sidonie”, “Tu Veux, Ou Tu Veux Pas?”, “Le Soleil De Ma Vie” (the cover of Stevie Wonder‘s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life“) and the notorious “Je t’aime… moi non plus“. Bardot pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release this duet and he complied with her wishes; the following year he re-recorded a version with British-born model and actress Jane Birkin which became a massive hit all over Europe.

www.brigittebardot.org