Monday, June 22, 2009

Jeanloup Sieff





(November 30, 1933 – 20 September 2000)Jeanloup Sieff was a practitioner of the photographic art of high fashion, and avowed a fidelity to the frivolous and superficial. His legacy places him in the top rank of fashion, portrait, and art photographers.

Sieff was born in Paris to parents of Polish origin. His interest in photography was first piqued when he received a Photax plastic camera as a birthday gift for his fourteenth birthday. He recalled his holidays in Polish winter resort of Zakopane as a period when photographing newly met girls he got really hooked on photography. In 1953 he attended the Vaugirard School of Photography in Paris, later on moved to the Vevey School in Switzerland, and in 1954 he was already working as a freelance reporter, leaving aside his brief interest in cinema.

In 1956 he began shooting fashion photography, and in 1958 he joined the Magnum Agency. His work for them made him travel to Italy, Greece, Poland and Turkey. He settled in New York for a number of years in the 1960s, where he worked for Esquire, Glamour, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, becoming extremely popular in America.

He won a number of prizes, including the Prix Niepce, the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in Paris in 1981 and the Grand Prix National de la Photographie in 1992. He photographed many celebrities, among them Jane Birkin, Yves Montand, Alfred Hitchcock, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Yves Saint-Laurent, and Rudolf Nureyev. Dancers and nudes were two recurring themes in his works. Jeanloup Sieff died in Paris, September 20, 2000 at the age of 66. His daughter, Sonia Sieff, is a known photographer.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow cool pics!

Green-Eyed Momster said...

The top and bottom ;) pictures made me suck it in! LOL!!

Love ya, girl!

Hugs!!

A BIT COQUETTISH said...

Gorgeous photography!

bisous,
La C.

Unknown said...

sexy sexy!

Vic said...

Those are some impossibly tiny waists! Beautiful pictures! I always learn something new here - I love that.
Happy Monday!

Prunella Jones said...

That is one hawt ass.

Dominica said...

Very Dita von Teese-ish corset !! Wow !

drollgirl said...

what amazing pics!!!

and i sure wish my waist was that small. egads! ay yi yi -- mine is nowhere near that!

Joanna Jenkins said...

I was three years old when my waist was the small. But I didn't have a black corset.

Great post and pics. Thanks.

Unknown said...

ooh, sexy, sexy! i love his iconic image of the corseted waist!
xox

www.froufroufashionista.blogspot.com

James Jean said...

While I agree with Green eyed Monster, mine were for different reasons hehe. I know I'm a bad boy! Great photos of his work although I'd love to see what he did of YSL.....

Miss Yvonne said...

I don't trust anyone who's thighs don't rub together. That model looks shifty to me.

Baybay Mama said...

Wow sexxxxxxyyy.

I have never heard of this guy but he sure sounds interesting. I love all the photos.

James Jean said...

Miss Yvonne, while your statement may sound a bit "bold" to someone else, I think you might be onto something......

Jack Daniel said...

Wow, what a beautiful post. I've never heard of Jeanloup Sieff. But now I'm really hooked on his photo's. Thanks for posting this up!

preppygoesrock said...

love the black and white pics... totally a fan of your blog!!!
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Laura @ The World Looks Red said...

I LOVE his photography.