Lucien Clergue

Lucien Clergue (1934-2014) was one of the most important French photographers of the twentieth century, whose work brought the artistic traditions of his native Camargue and Provence into the mainstream of international photography. Born in Arles, France, Clergue came from a modest background and taught himself photography as a young man, developing his eye through sustained observation of the world immediately around him: the marshes, gypsies, bullfights, and beaches of southern France.

Clergue's life changed dramatically when, at the age of nineteen, he approached Pablo Picasso with a portfolio of his photographs at a bullfight in Arles. Picasso was struck by the young photographer's work, and the two formed a friendship that would last until Picasso's death in 1973. Through Picasso, Clergue was also introduced to Jean Cocteau, another lifelong friend and collaborator, and the connections opened doors that transformed his career and his sense of what photography could be. He produced illustrated books with both artists and became one of the most well-connected French photographers of his generation.

Clergue's own images range from his celebrated nudes on Camargue beaches, in which the female body dissolves into sand, water, and light, to his intense records of the traditions of bullfighting, the daily life of the Roma communities in Provence, and the ritual worlds of Catholic Spain. In 1970 he co-founded the Rencontres d'Arles, which grew into one of the most important international photography festivals in the world. He was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 2006, the first photographer ever admitted, and remains one of the most decorated and internationally recognized French photographers of the postwar era.