Bettina Rheims: Retrospective [Paperback]

Bettina Rheims (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2004

Since the early 80s, Bettina Rheims has been one of the most sought-after contemporary photographers. She came to fame with unusual portraits of women and female nudes. Both celebrities and unknowns posed for her in stagings of glamour and fame, of fashion, beauty, sex, and seduction. Her subject is the visualization of female eroticism in its sensual, emotional and disquieting varieties, her trademark is a sensitive and delicate, yet provocative approach to the subject. In 2004, the Helsinki City Art Museum organizes the first major retrospective of Bettina Rheims’ work, presenting important series, such as "Female Trouble," "Modern Lovers," "The Spies," "INRL," and "Why did you forsake me?" The exhibition will subsequently travel to Oslo, Aarhus, Vienna, Dusseldorf, and Berlin.

The publication accompanying the exhibition provides a representative overview of her works between 1979 and 2002.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer/Mosel (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3829600615
• ISBN-13: 978-3829600613
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,754,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvelous Photo-Retrospective of a GREAT Artist., December 24, 2004

By 

Michelle7 "Editor of Michelle7(dot)com" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bettina Rheims: Retrospective (Paperback)

Starting in 1979 with Female Trouble and going all the way to 2002 with Shanghai, this softcover retrospective covers twelve different periods and bodies of work from Ms. Rheims. Born in Paris in 1952, Bettina gained fame with the publication of her nude photos of stripper in 1980 in the exhibition called Egoïste. From there she went on work with numerous high profile magazines and publishers and became well known for her work with celebrities. But through it all she retained her original focus on photography as an artistic medium. This book wonderfully conveys this, that despite all her success, Bettina Rheims held fast to her artistic vision with what Serge Bramley describes as her way of "seeing", which in the end propelled her to ever greater commercial and artistic accomplishment. All twelve chapters except Animal 1982-1983/1994 feature the human form as the central component to her work, and the naked female form is the star. We are treated to portraits of both the well known, like Kate Moss, Karen Elson, Eva Herzigova, Madonna, and Laetitia Casta, but also to those whose names we'll never know. But we get to see them all in the glorious manner that is so uniquely Bettina Rheims. Intriguing, inventive, and sometimes quite provocative, the nudes of Bettina Rheims are never short of spellbinding and across more 200 pages we are presented with a succulent treat to the work and vision of one our generation's greatest photographic talents.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A RHEIMS RETROSPECTIVE TO RETURN TO, October 4, 2004

By 

Robie Kulokivi (Joensuu, Finland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bettina Rheims: Retrospective (Paperback)

The book has soft covers but is relatively well made. Printing and binding is done by EBS in Italy and it is produced by Schirmer/Mosel, Germany. The size is 240x300x17mm and it's printed on 170g/m2 galerie art silk paper.
The book I have in my library was printed for the retrospective exhibition Finland and Norway.

The Bettina Rheims Retrospective exhibition was held in Helsinki, Finland 13.2-2.5.2004 and Oslo, Norway 29.5-11.7.2004.
I had the opportunity to attend the exhibition in Helsinki and consequently purchased the book at that occasion.
The book contains all the 133 exhibited work of the retrospective.

The work within are monochrome and mostly color and show models nude or partially clothed. Several celebrities are photographed. Other objects portraid are stuffed animals. They represent a selection from different collections of work over quite some time from 1979 to 2002; Female Trouble (1979-91), Animal (1982-83/1994), Modern Lovers (1989-90), Les Espionnes (1991), Kim Harlow (1991), Les Aveugles (1992), INRI (1997), X'mas (1999-2000), Morceaux Choisis (2001), Porquoi M'as-tu Abandonnée (1994-2001) and Shanghai (2002).

The size of the pages is suitable to present the work and the quality is good. One strange sensation was to review the plates in the book after the exhibition and find them to be miniatures when compared to the large photographs in the art hall. Perhaps a bit of the magic is lost in lesser size.

Personally I do like most of the photographs within. Some contain or portray messages on the borderline of distaste or grotesque, but I'm sure that has been the intention of the author. Size and especially color works in Bettina Rheims favour. The book is worth attention.
My special favourites are plates 68, 105, 109 and 123.

Robie Kulokivi
[e-mail]

0 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars mmm...., March 25, 2007

By 

type-iv (Nagano, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bettina Rheims: Retrospective (Paperback)

I NEVER understand what her representation from these photographs.
Only I can understand is decadence of all things, and no future.
This book is associated Jock Sterges by amazon, is UNTRUE.
Retated from One face, but it's never. J.S. gazes object seeing
'future', good or worse.

I can't recommend this one. For all, want to buy Photos like took by J.S..