JACQUES-HENRI LARTIGUE ^©  

(Courbevoie, 1894 - Nizza, 1986)

Cm 30 x 40

Signed on recto in ink

Framed (grey wood with plexi) size cm 43 x 53 x 3,5

Original provenance: Association des amis de JHL, Paris France

Jacques-Henri Lartigue was born at Courbevoie on June 13, 1894. When he was six, he tools his first photographs using his father’s camera. He also started the diary which he would keep writing all his life. He was interested in movement and whatever was new. First, he photographed his early childhood experiences like the family at play and then later he passed to flying and the “lovely ladies” in the Bois de Boulogne” and what was going on in the streets and in sports events. An amateur who was interested in just about everything, he tried out all the photographic techniques that were available. On June 26, 1912, he took one of his most famous photos, “The Delage automobile at the ACF Grand Prix”. Jacques-Henri Lartigue wanted to capture a picture of the racing drivers going at top speed so he positioned himself halfway down a straight stretch of the road. As the car roared by, he spun on his feet and cliclced the shutter. The exposure time was too long though, and the car disappeared out of the viewfinder. The result was a twice-distorted picture: the spectators at the race lean over while the wheels of the car are deformed. A combination of technique, luck and especially the photographer’s instinct brought about an immortal picture which catches the very essence of speed. An indefatigable collector, Jacques Henri Lartigue took thousands of photographs that he classified and bound in albums. He became famous by accident. In 1963, when be was 69 years old, his work became known through an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New Yorlt. Three years later, encouraged by Richard Avedon, he published Instants de ma Vie, and consequently became world famous. He died in Nice on the 12 September, 1986, leaving behind an important record of the 20th Century.

Martine d’Astier

© 2000 Photology

Editions 100 to 2000 the century of Photoart