Accession Number
1989/1.74.2

Title
Untitled

Artist(s)
Guy Bourdin

Artist Nationality
French (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1976

Medium & Support
chromogenic print on paper

Dimensions
13 1/16 in x 18 1/16 in (33.18 cm x 45.88 cm)

Credit Line
Anonymous Gift: New York

Subject matter
This is a chromogenic reproduction of a plate from Sighs and Whispers. Bourdin was commissioned by Arthur Cohen, the vice president of Bloomingdale’s, to produce this photographic series for the store’s September 1976 lingerie catalog. The catalog quickly became a collector's item, due to the scarcity of Bourdin's work. He rarely chose to reproduce his photographs in contexts other than magazines and catalogs. This series exemplifies Bourdin's atypical and boundary-pushing approach to fashion photography. The series references but does not create narrative through the deployment of tableau and B-movie aesthetics. Bourdin employed formal devices such as cropped interior spaces, dramatic lighting, cast shadows, and often-overt references to sexuality, which were strategies that he utilized throughout his career.​ When this catalog was released in America, it was met with mixed reviews and controversy, much like his notorious work for Charles Jourdan Shoes in France in preceding decades.

Physical Description
This work is a color photograph of an indoor tableau, with mauve curtains framing a blank wall. To the left, a model leans against the wall in a navy gown. Left of center, another model in a floral dress leans against a floral chair, throwing her head back, hair billowing behind her. A third model in a long mauve gown stands to the right, arms crossed, looking vacantly to the left.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
cast shadows
clothed
drapery
draw curtains
fashion photography
floral patterns
gowns
indoor photography
models (people)
modern and contemporary art
motion
reclining
seated
standing
women (female humans)