X-Ray (Hardcover)

~ Francois Nars (Author), Andre Leon Talley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Famed makeup artist and photographer François Nars has assembled a book of his portraits in X-Ray. The one-page preface, written in French by fashion maven Andre Leon Talley, makes the point that this is not a text-heavy book. The photos are large-format, and each portrait occupies an entire page. Readers will find many familiar as well as unfamiliar faces here, all set in vivid Technicolor against a stark white background. Among the most recognizable are the photos of supermodel Shalom Harlow as a naughty Snow White. Nars's subjects are varied, but they are all legends in their own right, contributors to a stylistic vision, both of his world and their own. A few favorites of this reviewer are Ivanka Trump as a perched yellow canary, Kate Moss as Dorothy, Alexander McQueen wearing British flag contact lenses, and Amber Valletta as a 1960s airline stewardess. Then there are the more straightforward portraits--involving less costuming--of Chloe Sevigny, Sharon Gault, Grace Jones, Isabella Rossellini, Francesco Clemente, Tim Burton, Susan Sarandon, and a slew of models, designers, artists, and musicians young and old. The portraits are simple, yet Nars's sense of color and the up-front-and-center feeling of the images--so many interesting faces, some staring at readers unmasked, others transformed into utter fantasy--are phenomenally powerful. --Amra Brooks

Review

Francois Nars sends off the century with syle. In X-RAY, the French makeup artist and photographer gives us 256 pages of captivating faces-from socialites to supermodels to street punks-that capture the essence of of-the-moment cool and natural glamour.His clean, bright style magnifies his subjects' sensuality, while his makeup artistry-from a dab of lip gloss to full-fledged fantasy-showcases his vision, even if, he says with a laugh, it doubles the amount of work for each portrait. -- Paper Magazine

His book, a lavishly illustrated, oversize monograph, features portraits of members of the fashion elite in cosmetic overdrive, from socialite to porn star, from hairstylist to hat designer to Hollywood royalty. The model Shalom Harlow appears as Snow White showing her panties. Sylvia Miles, in a tuxedo, never looked better. -- New York Times

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: powerHouse Books (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576870359
• ISBN-13: 978-1576870358
• Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 11.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #381,292 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent example of the power of cosmetics....., December 2, 1999

By	Katie (New Orleans) - See all my reviews

Francois Nars' first collection of portraits is a fascinating "read"(there's only a few pages of text). The images, the fantasy, the creative process are what is important.

Nars photographs his subjects simply, against a white background in most cases, although some have more extensive set work. The emphasis is on the face and of course, the makeup. The makeup is, in a word, stunning. Nars mixes wild and fanciful theatrical makeup with more subdued, practical makeup. Understandably, the wild makeup makes a deeper impression, but the range of the makeup highlights Nars' skill. My particular favorites are Shalom Harlow as Snow White(though I've seen a less graphic version of the portrait where's she's simply showing her garter, not her panties), Susan Sarandon looking stunning in wearable, pretty makeup, and the picture of a performance artist in full-body makeup with wild wig and face. There is full frontal nudity in this book, but it is not portrayed in a sexual way. In fact, if anything, many of the subjects who are fully clothed are more sexual than the nude ones.

It's hard to judge Nars' caliber as a photographer. Are the photos stunning, or is it simply what the pictures are of that makes them so intriguing? It's a fine line, but the pictures are playful, attractive, and well thought out. The subjects are famous people, many presented in a new and different way then we've seen them before. I definitely would advise people to check it out.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a way to enter the new millennium!, November 1, 1999

By A Customer

I discovered Francois Nar's book, X-Ray, two days ago, and I cannot stop thinking about it. There are really no in-between's with this book: you love it or you don't. In photography, I especially love good portraiture, and since, have liked portraits done in black-and-white. In X-Ray, Nars combines all my favorite loves: fashion, make-up, and personality-- in wonderful, vibrant COLOR!! A particular eye can appreciate the sequence of monographs, one by one: the full-face photo of Cindy Crawford au naturel! Every portrait is a surprise...And to think that Nars did the styling, make-up, and picture-taking himself makes this book all the more precious. This book can show us how big and small this world is, our differences and preferences and similarities. How we each have different sides to our personality, some more obvious than others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best photographer since Robert Maplethorpe, October 28, 1999

By A Customer

This is resoundingly the photography book of the millennium...Nars is able to capture the fantasies and characters we all have hidden within us through an extraordinary variety of photos. As I viewed the book I felt that I was being transported to an entirely different planet...one, I might add, that I would like to visit. All inhibition has been set aside so that we may (as an audience) participate in a festival of photos which are clearly the magic of Francois Nars. This book deserves nothing less than to be displayed on every coffee table...then we'll see who (or what) becomes the life of the party!