

Since her first photographs in the late โ70s, Bettina Rheims has defied the predictable. From her series on Pigalle strippers (1980) to her cycle on the life of Jesus in I.N.R.I. (1998), from Chanel commercials to Gender Studies (2011), her work has shaken up traditional iconography and pushed restlessly at the breaking point between two great human preoccupations: beauty and imperfection. This Rheims retrospective showcases more than 500 photographs from 35 years of daring, often defiant photography. Personally selected and assembled by Rheims, the collection juxtaposes renowned series such as Chambre Close, Hรฉroรฏnes, and Rose, cโest Paris with many previously unpublished archival images and entries from Rheimsโs own โdiaries,โ detailing behind-the-scenes work and personal memories. Spanning commercial work and artistic series, the retrospective impresses with each turn of the page, as much for the strength of each image as for the thrilling variety of Rheimsโs subjects and aesthetics. With equal attention to anonymous subjects cast in the street as to global celebrities including Kate Moss, Madonna, Monica Bellucci, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, the book showcases Rheimsโs particular interest in female fragility and strength, and of the magic encounter between model and artist which disrupts codes of so-called eroticism to build up a new image system for womanhood.First published as a limited editionโnow available in a popular TASCHEN edition! Review: ... a genius and this huge heavy volume is a perfect showcase of her work - She's a genius and this huge heavy volume is a perfect showcase of her work. Review: Five Stars - Excellent book and service.
| Best Sellers Rank | 932,622 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1,903 in Individual Photographers |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 71 Reviews |
E**S
... a genius and this huge heavy volume is a perfect showcase of her work
She's a genius and this huge heavy volume is a perfect showcase of her work.
P**E
Five Stars
Excellent book and service.
A**R
Five Stars
great book
F**S
I tend not to like Taschen books--can't quite put my finger on why this ...
I tend not to like Taschen books--can't quite put my finger on why this is so--but maybe their quality is getting better. In any case, this is a gorgeous book, so very well done. I liked all the "extra" behind-the-scenes type images, as I felt everything added, and that there is so much to enjoy, so much visual excitement, so much to explore. If I had to "complain about something"--it would be that the size and weight of the book make it somewhat of a challenge to casually glance through, but I realize this is a plus to most people, plus the pictures do look really nice at this size.
P**S
Great figurative work, born of total commitment by the sitters as well as the photographer
This is a wonderful overview of the work of a great portrait photographer. What I love best about her work is that whether the piece be fashion-oriented, a traditional portrait, or something more erotically charged, she elicits an almost fierce cooperation and complicity from her sitters. It always seems to me that her sitters create the images as much as Rheims does.
J**F
A Classic
When women love a book like this there is something to rave for right ? ;-)
W**A
Five Stars
great
L**.
Arrived in good condition, wrapped, and on time
Arrived correctly
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