Accession Number1989/1.74.6
TitleUntitled
Artist(s)Guy BourdinArtist NationalityFrench (culture or style)Object Creation Date1976Medium & Supportchromogenic print on paperDimensions 13 1/16 in x 18 in (33.18 cm x 45.72 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift: New YorkSubject matterThis 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 DescriptionThis work is a color photograph of three models in night wear. One woman stands in the center background, while two models stand on the far sides of the frame, their shadows elongating toward the ceiling. Each looks at, and seems to move toward the center, where an illuminated conch shell glows on a table.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
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Keywords
bathrobes
cast shadows
conch (shell)
fashion photography
groups
indoor photography
models (people)
modern and contemporary art
nightgowns
shells
standing
women (female humans)