Thursday, November 19, 2009

Paris Photo


Jowhara AlSaud's "Airmail" at Aperture.


Now celebrating its 13th year, the Paris Photo art fair presents a vast range of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary photography by 102 exhibitors from 23 countries. It's a bit overwhelming - with this much good photography on display enthusiasm can quickly lead to exhaustion. But it's fascinating and inspiring, and most of the work is of a surprisingly high standard.

After four days of travel, meetings, and looking at pictures, I decided to distill the fair to my top ten favorites and so in no particular order, here they are.



A vintage Seydou Keita at the Agnes B gallery.



A new Susan Derges photogram at Purdey Hicks.



A stunning Gustave Le Grey at Baudoin Lebon.



Viviane Sassen - you will be seeing more of her work here shortly.



Catherine Robbe-Grillet photographing one of Yves Klein's models preparing for one of his contact paintings.



What looked at first like a Loretta Lux was in fact the work of a young Chinese photographer, Yu Xiao, who digitally creates different child versions of herself as a commentary on China's one child rule and the obsessive focus on childhood this has created.



Koos Breujkel and the rather touchingly titled "Lucien Freud at the Grave of his Dog". Van Zoetendaal Gallery.



A late Irving Penn fashion shot of Nicole Kidman at Hamilton's.



A stunning Adam Fuss photogram of water drops. (Better to click in to this one.)