Customer Reviews

Heroines (French Edition)

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Bettina Rheims' book "Heroines" is going back to Amazon. It is a high quality, elegant, color photo album full of craftfully created portraits of celebrity women who were set up to act distressed and decadent. The photographs are too explicitly stylized to believe that the models just came from a party, hungover and roughed up, their beautiful dresses torn and ripped from their bodies. Their expressions are hollow and hesitant, which leaves the viewer wondering if they understand what Rheims wants them to represent. Did she want to create a 60s European decadent look (such as the images of Monica Vitti and Anita Eckberg) where the subjects appear vulnerable and disillusioned with a sexual overtone? If so, I do not think she succeeded. Not even the forward, with Catherine Millet's well worded but not very enthusiastic review nor the reference to Lucien Freud helps to explain the artist's intent.

Bettina Rheims; Heroines: ISBN-10:3829602987.

Bettina Rheims has been a slow burn for me.
She is not a sensationalist - never going to be - and never going to be this years model - no fifteen minutes of fame.
She is an artist-photographer understanding women as only a woman can and makes it perfectly comprehensible to a boho like me.
She is awesome.
In this work she takes on beautiful women, mostly famous,from around the world,lures them into her studio and shoots them blue veins,transluscent flesh,blemishes and all.
A daunting task - a could-be/would be disaster for both model and photographer - especially for the models - who are shown here as they are - as they see themselves or as the photographer sees them - real portrait photography.
A campaign for real women - executed with aplomb.
Astonishing.
I find myself leafing through this book again and again - settling and discovering something new and fresh everytime - and it's a gorgeous feeling - seeing these women - sensing their experiences - celebrating their maturity.
Ms. Rheims develops and matures with every publication, and is absolutely going to be a cult figure in her time and a legend thereafter.

Great book , encourages me to explore further my portraiture photography of women , Bettina Rheims raw honest expose of her models is refreshing and exciting!