Pierre Commoy, the photographer, was born in 1950 in La Roche-sur-Yon. Gilles Blanchard, the painter, was born in 1953 in Le Havre. In the early 1970s, Gilles took a degree at the École des Beaux-Arts in Le Havre, while Pierre studied photography in Geneva.
In 1974, Gilles moved to Paris to paint and make illustrations for magazines and advertisements. Pierre started working as a photographer for the magazines Rock & Folk, Dépèche Mode and Interview.
In autumn 1976, Pierre and Gilles met at the inauguration of a Kenzo boutique in Paris, and started living together in an apartment in Rue des Blancs-Manteaux that they also use as a studio. Next year they started working together; Gilles would do the painting and Pierre took the photos. Their public breakthrough came with their images for the magazine Façade, with portraits of Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop.
In 1979 they moved to the Bastille quarter, made their first works for Thierry Mugler, designed record sleeves for artist friends, and shot fashion ads and portraits for magazines. They also made their first trip to India, a country which has inspired much of their work. In 1983 Pierre et Gilles had their first personal show at Galerie Texbraun in Paris. In 1984 they worked extensivlely for musical artists like Mikado (for whom they directed their first video), Sandii, Etienne Daho, Sheila and Krootchey. In 1987 they again travellled to India, and started working on religious and mythological themes. In 1989 they became friends with Marc Almond, with whom they would work with for many years. In 1993 Pierre et Gilles were awarded the Grand Prix de Photographie by the City of Paris; and produced art work for Absolut Vodka. Their first retrospective exhibition was in 1996, at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris.
Pierre et Gilles are French artists and romantic partners. They produce highly stylized photographs, building their own sets and costumes as well as retouching the photographs. They met in Paris in 1976, at a Kenzo's store inauguration. Pierre Commoy, the photographer, was born in 1950 in La Roche-sur-Yon. Gilles Blanchard, the painter, was born in 1953 in Le Havre. In the early 1970s, Gilles took a degree at the École des Beaux-Arts in Le Havre, while Pierre studied photography in Geneva.
Les Amoureux (Johan And Léo), 1998
Mercury, 2001
Bacchus (Salvatore), 1981
Bubbles Shower (Frédéric Lenfant), 1976
Le Miel Et Les Abeilles (Loic), 1976
Le Petit Jardinier (Didier), 1976
Bouddha (Santi Sudaros), 1976
Casanova (Enzo Jr.), 1995
David Et Jonathan (Jean-Yves Et Moussa), 1976
Fred (Frédéric Lenfant), 1976
Gai Paris (Jean-Paul Et Andréas), 1976
Ganymede 1 (Frédéric Lenfant), 2000
Ganymede 2 (Frédéric Lenfant), 2000
Ganymede 3 (Frédéric Lenfant), 2000
King Sauna (Said), 1984
Le Footballeur Blessé (Frédéric Lenfant), 1976
Le Fumeur De Narguilé (Aziz), 1976
Le Jeune Pharaon (Hamid), 1985
Le Marin (1977)
Le Marin (Philippe Gaillon), 1985
Le Mur Blanc (Ricardo), 1976
Le Naufragé (Jan), 1976
Le Naufragé (Philippe), 1985
Le Prisonnier (Laurent Combes), 1976
Les Plaisirs De La Foret (Enzo), 1976
Les Plaisirs De La Foret (Eric Daman), 1976
Les Plaisirs De La Foret (Johnny), 1976
Le Totem (Pierre et Gilles), 1983
Matador (Fernando Leonne), 1976
Neptune (Karim), 1988
Otter (Enzo), 1992
Presque Rien (Jérémie Elkaim Et Stéphane Rideau), 1976
Saint Jean Et Saint Jacques (Charly And Ludovic), 1989
Saint Martin De Porres (Carlos), 1990
Saint Michel Archangel (Franc Chevalier), 1988
Silver Biker (David Pontremoli), 1982
Spider (Yvan Boucqueniaux), 1976
St Sebastian (Bouabdallah Benkamla), 1987
St Sebastian Of The Sea (Laurent Combes), 1994
The Matrydom Of St Sebastian, 1996
People photographed by Pierre et Gilles include: musicians Amanda Lear (the cover of her 1980 album Diamonds for Breakfast, one of their first assignments), Lio, Khaled, Étienne Daho, Marie France, Mikado, Marc Almond, Marilyn Manson, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Erasure, Deee-Lite, The Creatures, Nina Hagen and CocoRosie (the cover of their 2007 album The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn); model Naomi Campbell, actresses Tilda Swinton and Catherine Deneuve, actors Jérémie Renier and Layke Anderson and also designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and Paloma Picasso.
They directed Marc Almond's 1990 music video for the song "A Lover Spurned" and Lamour's video clip for "Tu es foutu".
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_et_Gilles
Further Readings:
Pierre Et Gilles: Sailors & Sea (Taschen Icons) edited by Anne Sauvadet
Hardcover: 191 pages
Publisher: Taschen; 25th edition (November 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3836508850
ISBN-13: 978-3836508858
Amazon: Pierre Et Gilles: Sailors & Sea
Bizarre and full of obscure significance, glitter, flowers, and hearts, these portraits are reminiscent of still from film. This collection of kitsch encompasses selections of Pierre et Gilles' most delectable works on the recurring theme of sailors and the sea.
Hardcover: 459 pages
Publisher: TASCHEN America Llc; First Edition edition (June 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3822846503
ISBN-13: 978-3822846506
Amazon: Pierre & Gilles: Double Je, 1976-2007
Kings of cult and pop
Pierre et Gilles create dreamy portraits that transport their subjects--as well as the viewers--into an alternate world where camp, pop, burlesque, religion, and eroticism mingle in perfect harmony. Creating the sets themselves, and with Pierre as photographer and Gilles as painter/elaborator, they create one-of-a-kind artworks of an unmistakably original style. A host of stars has passed before their lens, such as Iggy Pop, Madonna, Marc Almond, Nina Hagen, Catherine Deneuve, Laetitia Casta, Marilyn Manson, Mireille Mathieu... though many of their portraits also feature unknowns.
Marking the 30th anniversary of their collaboration, the Jeu de Paume in Paris hosted a retrospective of their work from June to September, 2007.
Much more than just an exhibition catalog, this book brings together all of the 130 works included in the exhibition as well as an additional 170 pieces focusing on the past ten years. Also included is a tribute text by the artist Jeff Koons. What better way to (re)discover the work of Pierre et Gilles?
More Artists at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Art
More Real Life Romances at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance
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