Hervé Guibert - Photographies - 1993

Rare copy of Hervé Guibert's photography book published posthumously in 1993. 132 pages and more than a hundred black-and-white photographs. Very beautiful black cloth-binding binding with the title embossed in a tone-on-tone on the cover and in white lettering on the spine, illustrated dust jacket. In excellent condition, practically like new.

Hervé Guibert (1955–1991), writer, photographer, photo critic at Le Monde at age 22, died of AIDS at 36. In 2011, the European House of Photography organized the first major retrospective of Hervé Guibert's photographic work. 'His photographs, both minimalist and poignant, weave a unique visual poetry where the intimate blends with the universal. In his work, the visible borders on the invisible, and every shadow becomes an invitation to reflect on the fragility of existence. Guibert's work, though deeply personal, explores universal themes such as love, solitude, illness, and death. Diagnosed HIV-positive in 1988, he used his art to express his struggle and reflections on the human condition. Hervé Guibert, writer, photographer, and sensitive witness of his time, transformed each shot into a window into his inner universe. His photographs, both minimalist and poignant, weave a unique visual poetry where the intimate merges with the universal. In his work, the visible borders on the invisible, and every shadow invites contemplation of life's fragility. Guibert's work is rooted in a philosophy that values imperfection and ephemerality. He found beauty in simple details: a worn table, a gentle shadow, or a pronounced wrinkle. Guibert was not seeking to impress but to invite contemplation. His photographs evoke silent, almost meditative reflection, where each viewer finds echoes of their own experiences. His choice of black and white reflects more a philosophy than an aesthetic. The soft light, sober framing, and meticulous details give his works a meditative depth. Guibert did not seek artifices; he revealed raw and often poignant truths through his lens.

At Guibert, life and work have always been intertwined. The “I” was his raw material, his testing ground. Inevitably, among these black-and-white photos, bathed in delicate light, self-portraits abound. But Hervé Guibert eludes himself more than he reveals himself: the grave gaze averts, the silhouette is often blurred. It is his other images that speak more of him. The writer as he sees himself, with a workspace, a typewriter, a library. And the romantic dreamer that he is: open books, translucent marbles, flowers, dolls compose a melancholic universe, where objects are charged with symbols that are often morbid. From a sheet that is too white, to a mosquito net, Guibert enjoys making a shroud with premonitory accents. Yet the great question that runs through Guibert’s entire photographic work is that of intimacy. With his shots that are sometimes candid, sometimes staged, he speaks of his world, his daily life, his circle and his relationships, with a strong emotional and nostalgic charge. These are places (the streets of Vaugirard, Moulin Vert, Raymond-Losserand, Santa Catarina, the house on Elba island), apartments, rooms, beds, armchairs, libraries, work tables—so many inhabited places captured on film. Everyday objects, Mont-Blanc pen, old Royal typewriter, paintings, books, flowers, become heroes of personal still lifes, moments suspended between the intimate and the universal. But they are also bodies and faces. Parents, friends, lovers who, before the camera, become characters. By chance of the shots, one encounters familiar faces: Isabelle Adjani, with whom he had a privileged relationship, the philosopher Michel Foucault, who played a major role in his life, the photographer Hans-Georg Berger, the filmmaker Orson Welles, or the director Patrice Chéreau, with whom he worked. But there are also unknown faces, that emotionally resonate with his literary work: Thierry, the T. of his novels, the love of his life whom he met in 1976, or Vincent, a fifteen-year-old boy who fascinates him, the origin of his novel Fou de Vincent, and many other lovers photographed before or after love. Just as his literary work, in which he is the central subject, the self-portrait also threads through Guibert’s photographic œuvre. With refinement and narcissism, he, who through creation sought to sublimely render his existence, stages himself, even up to the first signs of illness, in compositions of chiaroscuro, shadows and sunbeams, a sign of a true sense of light. Through this moving and fascinating photographic journey, mirror of Guibert’s literary œuvre, one discovers a kind of diary in images, which, far from any artistic or formal pursuit, captures moments of reality. (Claire Guillot Le Monde 09 March 2011)

An excellent copy, practically like new. A book from my personal collection kept with the utmost care. Shipped securely with reinforced packaging and guaranteed international tracking. For multiple purchases, combined shipping is available with a refund of any excess postage paid via Paypal.

1.1 kg excluding packaging