Lucien CLERGUE - Nude in the Water, 1992 - Photograph

Lucien Clergue : is a French photographer, born on August 14, 1934 in Arles, died on November 15, 2014 in Nîmes. He defined himself as an "art photographer" as opposed to a photo-reporter and revolutionized the world of photography through his ever-renewed curiosity. From his earliest years, he gravitated around the greatest artists and met Pablo Picasso at the age of 19 during a bullfight in Arles. He presented his first photographs to the Spanish master, who was delighted and wanted to see more pictures of the young prodigal. Thanks to Picasso's connections, Clergue also met Jean Cocteau and Paul Eluard, with whom he collaborated on the re-edition of the collection of poems "Corps Mémorables,” which he illustrated with his series of photos "Les nus de la mer.” At the beginning of his career, Lucien Clergue set his lens on the ruins of his war-torn city. The destruction caused by the conflict became the backdrop for his first photographs. He shows children dressed as acrobats or dancing in the bombed city. The other major theme of his work is the nudes. We discover that Lucien Clergue's photographs are also imbued with femininity and sensuality, like the « Nus zébrés" (zebra nudes) and the "Nus de la mer" (nudes of the sea) for which he is famous. Important dates have marked his career, such as his exhibition at MoMA in 1961. Nine years later he founded the "Rencontres internationales de la photographie" in 1969 with Jean-Maurice Rouquette and Michel Tournier. in 2006, he was elected to the French Academy of Fine Arts. His work is part of the collections of the largest institutions.