Gaston Paris

Description

Gaston Paris (1903 - 1964), unknown until recently in the history of photography, was nevertheless one of the most active photographers of the 1930s, particularly in the service of the photographic news magazine VU.

The slow recognition of his role, in the light of a few scattered finds, came in the 1990s with the appearance, on flea markets or book fairs, of prints and contact sheets. His numerous interventions in the magazine were only spotted in 2006.

His intense production is one of a Parisian "reporter" and at the same time a press and publishing illustrator. He is as interested in the most diverse Parisian shows - music-hall, circus, theatre, cinema - as he is also in social, artistic and cultural subjects, news items or institutions, unusual places or leisure activities.

Never neutral or banal, Gaston Paris amazes with his point of view, always on the lookout for the right camera placement to bring to life to a scene that becomes a spectacle through photographic framing.

This catalogue attempts to provide a biography, a professional career, an insight into his training and motivations, and the sinuosities of a work that still eludes us. The work appears esoteric and exceptional when one considers the vast collection of high-quality negatives that have been transmitted.