From hinterland to hotspot: How fashion designers, painters, and photographers met and boundlessly inspired each other on the Côte d'Azur starting in the early 20th century. Text in English, German and French.
The Côte d'Azur has always captured the imagination of artists. Many of them arrived on the sun-drenched coast in the early 20th century, having left Paris to enjoy this beautiful region at a time when it was not yet a famed tourist destination. And there they stayed. Legendary for its special light, the French Riviera also spurred the development of art photography to a certain degree, attracting intellectuals and bon vivants, along with those who wanted to be in close proximity to this artistic world. The great influx of painters, photographers, and fashion designers created a rich legacy throughout several decades. This legacy will be narrated chronologically by decade in the book, starting with the beginnings of photography at the turn of the century, and continuing with the 1920s with the fashion of Jacques Henri Lartigue, the Surrealists up to the end of the war, the Golden Fifties of paparazzi photography, the portraits of artists, and photojournalism. AUTHOR: Genevieve Janvrin is a photography expert with 20 years of experience in the art market and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University College London. She has a large network of collectors, patrons, and colleagues within the art world. For the past five years, she has been Head of Europe for the Department of Photographs at Phillips Auction House. She works with all the major collectors of this medium in Europe and America. Genevieve began her career in 2001 at the prestigious Michael Hoppen Gallery in London. There she learned about and worked with the estates of Edward Quinn, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Man Ray, Andre Villers, and Picasso. She later joined Phillips de Pury auction house in 2007, where she held the inaugural London sale for photographs. After running the London department for two years, Genevieve relocated to Australia, where she worked for Rex Irwin Fine Art in Sydney. After returning to London in 2012, Genevieve worked at Magnum Photos before returning to Phillips Auction House. During this time, Genevieve brought to market the esteemed collections of French film producer, Georges Bermann, in 2016, leading Impressionist and Modern Art expert, Michel Strauss, in May 2018, and North Face and ESPRIT founder Susie Tomkins Buell in 2019. SELLING POINTS: . How sleepy fishing villages became hotbeds of culture: the Côte d'Azur, literally the blue coast, as a gathering place for artists, from its beginnings to the present day . In the tradition of Riviera Cocktail and Stars & Cars, a magnificent new book of photographs, vintage and charming . Exhibitions to accompany the book are in the planning stage
"In celebration of a long, sun-soaked legacy, the new coffee-table book Light of the Riviera collects many of these photographs. Together, they toast la belle vie." - Air Mail
"This stunning volume encompasses some of the biggest names in photographic history." - Amateur Photography
Podcast interview with Light on the Riviera author Sophie Wright. - KonfektKornerPodcast
"In fact the picture, which features in Genevieve Janvrin's Light On The Riviera, was entirely spontaneous, and taken when Franck spotted the scene from a distance and rushed, while changing her film, to get to the right spot before the magic evaporated." - Amateur Photographer
"This fittingly opulent tome celebrates the region's rich photographic heritage." - Black + White Photography
"For fans of photography and travel, Light on the Riviera offers an indepth look into the development of both medium and destination." - Forbes
"France's south-east coast is celebrated in this collection of photographs dating back 150 years." - National Geographic Traveller
One of AIR MAIL’s 28 Best Coffee-Table Books of 2022: "We could go on, but instead we’ll leave you with our favourite: a sparkling survey of Côte d’Azur shots (teNeues)." - Airmail
"Far from a simple travel edition, this book brings together photography from some of the biggest names in photographic history, all drawn to the beauty for different reasons." - Amateur Photographer
"This dazzling coffee-table book celebrates the seaside's sun-soaked and star-studded legacy." - Air Mail
Genevieve Janvrin is a photography expert with over 20 years’ experience in the art market. She works with all major collectors of the medium in Europe and America.
Janvrin received her Bachelor of Arts from University College London where she specialised in her final year in Surrealist photography and completed her thesis on the Photography of Dora Maar. She commenced her career at the prestigious Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, in 2001 and went on to work for Rex Irwin Fine Art, Sydney and Magnum Photos in London and New York. In the last five years she held the position as Head of Europe for the Department of Photographs at Phillips auction house, the auction leaders in photography sales. Janvrin has an extensive network of collectors, patrons and colleagues within the arts which has been built up during her career.
Since buying her first home on the Côte d’Azur in 2004 she has continued to discover more and more artists and photographers who have all called the South of France home. The publication of her book realises a long-held ambition to demonstrate the wealth of photography produced there. Moving to the region permanently with her family in 2017, she opened Galerie Janvrin in 2021, a gallery located on the Côte d’Azur and dedicated to photo-based art and works on paper. She now lives near Grasse.
Sophie Wright is a photography consultant with over 20 years’ experience in creative direction, curation, strategy and sales for artists and collections.
An expert in documentary photography, Wright was Global Cultural Director at Magnum Photos until 2020, where she ran an international team overseeing exhibitions and their accompanying books, commissions, print sales and talks programmes. Her book publications include Magnum Contact Sheets (2011) and Magnum China (2018) with Thames & Hudson; touring exhibitions include The Body Observed at the Sainsbury Centre (2019) and Now is the Time, commissions and an exhibition with the Boston Consulting Group which toured globally including to Davos and Beijing (2015). She initiated Magnum Photos Now, a talks programme with the Barbican Centre (2016–2019) and devised the Live Lab, a series of experimental residencies held in London, Shenzhen, Moscow and Paris (2017/18).
In 2020 Wright mentored over 100 emerging photographers via her online programme Photochat. In 2021 she conceived the Leica Lab workshops with Leica UK. Her exhibition America in Crisis, an updating of an historical Magnum project from 1969 with contemporary work from 2020, opened at the Saatchi Gallery in London in January 2022. She writes and lectures on photography and professional practice and is on the Board of the Journal of Photography and Culture.
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