2008 Arles Wrap-Up

This year designer Christian Lacroix was the artistic director of the Les Rencontres d'Arles Photographie festival which took place from July 7 to the 13.

We owe him a number beautiful moments:
    •    The extraordinary fashion series by Richard Avedon for the New Yorker in 1995 titled “In Memoriam of Mr. and Mrs. Comfort: A Fable,” one of the most beautiful fashion shoots ever done.
    •    “Les Insoumises” An exhibition of 30 daguerreotypes of the most important courtesans of the end of the 19th century.
    •    The history of fashion through pictures, videos, and films: an exhibition assembled by Olivier Saillard.
    •    Stefanie Schneider, Pieter Hugo, Ethan Levitas, Jane Evelyn Atwood, Jeffrey Silverthorne, Vanessa Winship and the rediscovery of the work of Jerry Schatzberg.
    •    An exhibition titled “Lettres d’Amour (love letters),” pictures and videos of Patrick Swirc dedicated to the women who recently left him. On a side note: they met again at the exhibition but left each on their own.
    •    A nice exhibition of still life of the French Vogue with the rediscovery of a photographer of amazing talent and completely forgotten since 1980: Daniel Jouanneau.
    •    A beautiful projection of fashion images from Francoise Huguier.
    •    And as the closer, an ensemble of the images of the invasion of  Prague in 1968 from Josef Koudelka, a great moment of happiness, emotion, and photographic intensity.

Friday July 11, Claudine Maugendre put together 36 projections in 20 public places of the town realized by the most important magazines and agencies from around the world. The best ones: Paris Match by Jerome Huffer and Vox-Pop by Samuel Kirszenbaum.

Despite a two hour delay due to a massive lightning storm, 59 models walked the runway in the ancient roman amphitheater depicting the history and the work of Christian Lacroix. When a beautiful contemporary history meets such and beautiful ancient setting, the result is exceptional.

Some disappointments of course: Peter Lindbergh and Paolo Roversi with some boring and even cliché images.

An extremely festive and convivial atmosphere ruled over the festival and its astonishing collection of critics, photographers, and agencies from around the world.

Last but not least was the presentation of a project by the festival’s godmother Maya Hoffman, who on the old train tracks of the city has commissioned the architect Frank O. Gehry to design the biggest center of contemporary art and photography in the southern Europe. Arles will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year; Francois Hebel has won his bet.

A coup de Coeur at last, mine, for an unknown photographer Lucia Ganieva who presented an amazing series on the modes of transportation in a small village lost in the middle of Russia. You can see her work at LuciaGanieva.com.

Finally, a very nice comment from C. Lacroix at the end of his fashion show: “You have just seen some beautiful women; look toward the most beautiful of them all: your significant other.”

Jean Jacques Naudet

(Photo: "In Memory of the Late Mr. and Mrs. Comfort: A Fable." New York, 1995. © 2008 The Richard Avedon Foundation.)