Ben Dauchez - WILLIAM KLEIN — LES GRANDS MAÎTRES

This photograph was taken at the Institut de France, in Paris, during an exceptional event bringing together several major figures of international photography.

In the foreground, William Klein, a pivotal figure in the history of photography. Beside him and in the background, several major personalities, among whom Sebastião Salgado, Jean-Luc Monterosso and many photographers who came to celebrate this art.

The photograph also references the first Photography Prize of the Academy of Fine Arts – William Klein, created in homage to William Klein and awarded in 2019 to the great Indian photographer Raghu Rai, first laureate of this distinction.

The prints presented in this image are as many testimonies of singular perspectives and works that have marked the history of photography.

For Ben Dauchez, this image is far more than a group photograph: it is a precious testimony of an era, of a meeting and a shared passion for photography.
Passionate about photography from a very young age, Ben DAUCHEZ began in the neighborhood studios of La Rochelle. There he acquired the full range of the foundations of photography—from classical technique, to shooting and retouching, through the darkroom. At 22, freshly graduated, he went to Paris to perfect his training by becoming a set assistant for the Daguerre studios, Le Petit Oiseau va sortir and Studio Zéro. He was fortunate to collaborate with and assist the photographers of the most talented: Bettina RHEIMS, Patrick DEMARCHELIER, Terry RICHARDSON, Ellen VON UNWERTH, Marcus MAM... From certain decisive meetings sprang beautiful projects and long collaborations, notably with André RAU, Bettina RHEIMS (the sultry exhibition INRI and its eponymous book at Editions Albin Michel) and Peter BEARD (2009 Pirelli calendar in Botswana).

His photos are published, among others, in Condé Nast Editions (French and international), Première, WallPaper, ID, Madame Figaro, Lifestyles, Dandy Magazine... His universe also attracts brands with very different identity codes for which he has signed the creation of Institutional and/or advertising campaigns such as Dior (beauty), L'Oréal, Peugeot, Philip Morris or Burger King (advertising awarded at Dubai Lynx).

Ben DAUCHEZ has also produced numerous portraits of celebrities (IGGY POP, Woody HALLEN, Grace JONES, Jean DUJARDIN, Gilles LELLOUCHE, Olivier MARCHAL, Carole BOUQUET, Charlotte GAINSBOURG, ...) of beauty, of men of the world (Olivier DASSAULT, Jacques SEGUELA...) and of travelers...
This photographic path has since allowed him to capture, with complete freedom, the human beauty, aesthetics and spirituality of each personality.