Customer Reviews

Paris-Hollywood (TASCHEN Icons Series)

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French photographer Serge Jacques had the audacity to showcase the pubic area of his models in the 1950's, and this both cost him (he was blacklisted, harassed, and arrested by the authorities) and propelled him to greater fame. That he continued with his work despite the regular raids upon his studio and darkroom is a strong statement to the sheer will of the man. He forged ahead with his legendary pin-up magazine Paris-Hollywood. This book from Taschen is a celebration of both the daring artist and the magazine itself, for which the book is named. Jacques' groundbreaking nudes were painstakingly created in and out of doors. At his studio he built elaborate sets, often out of papier-māché, to create the perfect fantasy world for his photographs. For Jacques Hollywood was not just a city, but a state of mind, a land where everyone's sexual freedoms were given free rein. And this enchanted him.

Taschen's Paris-Hollywood is an excellent compilation of Serge Jacques' finest work and will be sure to excite even the most sophisticated viewers. It's remarkable that he was doing this type of photography a full decade before American publisher Larry Flynt fought his famous battles to showcase his models' entire body for his subscribers of Hustler magazine.

Nothing special: these are nude women, mostly plain women, some are even far beyond the aesthetic elegance of slender, trim, shapely glamor models to be well padded women. Dressed for glamor and strutting sexy, but still just ordinary women - some are pretty,mind you, but lots were not young hotties. Black and white photos. Mostly shot in cramped quarters. Some are actually more original than a lot I've seen but the norm is "Wow, look, I'm a woman." showing it all. In the end: interest for people like artists looking for more variety than the before mentioned skinny-busty-young pretty dolls that are the norm. Most modern bikini shoots offer more sizzle and exhibit more raw sex. Keep in mind this fellow worked during an age when Playboy was often criticized as porn' and Playboy and most modern men's magazines are far more racy - and in color. Not bad, but not a gee-wiz wow-gotta-have-it book either. I found the censorship (earlier pics were air-brushed to remove "offending" material) interesting and I didn't recognize any of the gals, so I wasn't hooked on any glamorous babes. Nice, interesting for men who aren't prudes about female nudes and like women of all types. Mostly European white gals, at that, which means (sigh) little overall variety. Will interst scholars of nude photography and nude fans who like all decent nudes a lot more than any other clique.