Hervé Guibert - Photographies - 1993

Rarest edition of Hervé Guibert's photograph book (1955 - 1991), published posthumously in 1993, almost impossible to find online in good condition. 132 pages and more than a hundred black-and-white photographs, very beautiful black cloth binding with the title embossed in tone-on-tone on the cover and in white on the back, illustrated dust jacket. In excellent condition, practically like new.

Hervé Guibert (1955 – 1991), writer, photographer, photo critic for Le Monde at 22, Hervé Guibert died of AIDS at 36. In 2011, the Maison européenne de la photographie organized the first major retrospective of Guibert's photographic work: “His photographs, both minimalist and poignant, weave a unique visual poetry, where the intimate mixes with the universal. In his work, the visible sits beside the invisible, and every shadow. Guibert's work, though intimately personal, explores universal themes such as love, solitude, illness and death. Diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1988, he used his art to express his struggle and his reflections on the human condition. Hervé Guibert, writer, photographer and sensitive witness of his era, transformed each shot into a window into his inner world. His photographs, at once minimalist and poignant, weave a unique visual poetry, where the intimate mingles with the universal. In his work, the visible is beside the invisible, and every shadow becomes an invitation to reflect on the fragility of existence. Guibert's work is part of a broader movement that values imperfection and the ephemeral. He found beauty in simple details: a worn table, a soft shadow, or a pronounced wrinkle. Guibert did not seek to impress. He invited contemplation. His photographs call for silent, almost meditative reflection, where each viewer finds echoes of their own experiences. His choice of black and white reflects more of a philosophy than an aesthetic. The soft light, sober framings and meticulous details give his works a meditative depth. Guibert did not seek artifice. He revealed a raw and often poignant truth through his lens". (MICHAEL TIMSIT, https://magazine-acumen.com/photographie/herve-guibert-photographie/)

With Guibert, life and work have always been closely linked. The “self” was his raw material, his testing ground. Inevitably, among these black-and-white photos, bathed in delicate light, self-portraits are abundant. But Hervé Guibert withdraws from himself more than he reveals himself: a grave gaze averts itself, the silhouette is often blurred. It is his other images that speak more about him: the writer as he sees himself, with a work desk, a typewriter, a library. And the romantic dreamer he is: open books, translucent marbles, flowers, dolls compose a melancholic universe where objects are charged with often morbid symbols. From a sheet too white, a mosquito net, Guibert enjoys making a shroud with premonitory accents. But the great question that runs through his entire photographic work is that of intimacy. With portraits taken on the spot or staged, he speaks of his world, his daily life, his circle and his relationships, with a strong emotional and nostalgic charge. So there are places (the streets of Vaugirard, Moulin Vert, Raymond-Losserand, Santa Catarina, the island of Elba house), apartments, rooms, beds, armchairs, bookcases, desks, as many inhabited places imprinted on film. Everyday objects, a Mont-Blanc pen, an old Royal typewriter, paintings, books, flowers, become heroes of personal still lifes, moments suspended between the intimate and the universal. But there are also bodies and faces. Parents, friends, lovers, who before the camera become characters. In the randomness of shots, one encounters famous faces: Isabelle Adjani, with whom he had a privileged relationship, the philosopher Michel Foucault, who played a major role in his life, photographer Hans-Georg Berger, filmmaker Orson Welles, or director Patrice Chéreau, with whom he worked. But also unknown faces, emotionally resonant with his literary work: Thierry, the T of his novels, the love of his life found 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 like his literary work, in which he is the main subject, self-portraiture also threads through Guibert's photographic work. With refinement and narcissism, he, who sought through creation to elevate his existence, stages himself, right up to the first signs of illness, in compositions of light and shadow, shadows and sunrays, a sign of true mastery of light. Through this moving and fascinating photographic journey, mirror of Guibert's literary work, one discovers a kind of diary in pictures, which, far from any artistic or formal pursuit, captures moments of reality. (Claire Guillot Le Monde March 9, 2011)

Copy in excellent condition, practically like new. Personal collection book kept with the utmost care. Shipped protected with reinforced packaging and guaranteed international tracked mail. In case of multiple purchases, possible group shipment with reimbursement of excess postage paid via PayPal.

1.1 kg excluding packaging