There are books that are lived, love stories that don’t need words to make themselves felt. Photographs are enough. Françoise, the new book by Bernard Plossu published by Filigranes, is no exception. More than a tribute to Françoise Nuñez, his late partner and talented photographer, this collection of 75 two-tone photographs reveals itself to be a visual love song, an intimate conversation between two kindred spirits who shared forty years of life, art, and travel. A beautiful and touching tribute that the photographer dedicates to his partner beyond the death that separated them a few years ago.
The genesis of this love story was a matter of fate. “I was living in the United States and one day, I returned to France, invited to a small club. During a picnic, I ran into Françoise, who was very young. The second I saw her, I knew it was her, and she knew it too,” recalls Bernard Plossu, his voice still filled with emotion. “The second we saw each other, we knew it was for life. It was absolutely incredible.” This rare and instant love at first sight would give birth to an intense, passionate life together, marked by artistic creation and a united family.
Sadly, illness finally took Françoise away in 2021. “I was 12 years older than her, so I was the one who had to leave her first. It wasn’t her, she was too young. It’s not in the order of things.” Against all logic, it was Françoise who left first, leaving Bernard to face an impossible grief and hundreds of photos he could no longer look at.
“For years, I couldn’t look at a photo of her. It wasn’t even possible. The first tribute I paid to her was the book of her watercolors, in 2024,” he admits, his voice still trembling. “The photo is a moment of happiness when you take it, but afterwards, when the person has died, it’s not easy to look at. Many people say: ‘I know that moment, I lost my father, my mother.’ It’s nothing like that. Your partner, the mother of your children, it’s not the same at all. She’s your sunshine, your soul.” Françoise’s disappearance on December 24 – “Christmas morning. For children, it’s perhaps the hardest thing to live through” – left Bernard Plossu unable to confront their shared visual memory. However, little by little, “the idea came to pay him a post-mortem tribute in a portrait.” From this was born Françoise.
This project could have remained a pious wish without the decisive intervention of Patrick Le Bescont, the publisher. “I would have been unable to do it without Patrick. That is to say, by making the book, I was able to see photos that I couldn’t see before.” Together, they explored three large boxes of archives containing nearly 300 prints. “We chose photographs that are often centered on her gaze,” explains Plossu. We feel this as soon as our eyes fall on the cover. Particularly striking, it sublimates Françoise’s gaze, which “calls out when you encounter it ,” in Plossu’s words. “Someone said to me when they saw the cover: ‘It’s like a painting where, when you walk past this photo, you can’t take your eyes off her. She’s still there, no matter where we are.'” This meticulous work of curation proved as painful as it was cathartic. “Each image represents a moment in our lives. In the end, I think we succeeded in paying tribute to him in a portrait.” Bernard Plossu and Patrick Le Bescont have created a book in which each image tells, according to Bernard, “moments we were lucky enough to experience. It’s a whole life. In fact, that’s it, it’s a book about beauty, about tenderness.”
“I had her photos because I always loved her and always photographed her. She was modest, very beautiful. She didn’t hold herself back, she was natural. I was always completely in love with her.”
What is immediately striking about Françoise is its eloquent silence. Unlike Plossu’s other works, which are usually accompanied by texts, this one contains only the date of their marriage, discreetly mentioned.
“September 19, 1986:
we are getting married;
It’s the most beautiful day of our life.
BP”
“Everything is said in the look, in the love, in the tenderness. Adding text would have been redundant and almost… like adding a layer of sadness,” explains the photographer. Indeed, Bernard Plossu’s photographs say it all. No need for words to convey what Bernard wants to show us in this book: his unconditional love for this woman, the woman of his life. This bias reinforces the power of the images where Françoise appears in all her complexity: contemplative muse, independent woman, caring mother.
“I understood that there was something really important in the family photo.”
The pages unfold like a romantic travel diary. A 40-year love story, still going strong, meticulously printed on paper. “We traveled a lot together. Photos in Spain, Mexico, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, India… It’s a bit of a summary of all these journeys.” Then there are some family photos with the children. We have always been a very unique family.”
Beyond the couple, the book bears witness to this rare artistic complicity. “We both influenced each other. We often did the same things in the same place, but for different reasons ,” Plossu often says. Françoise, who came from the rigorous world of flamenco, and Bernard, influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s, were able to blend their sensibilities. “She helped me with the prints, I helped her choose the photos. We advised each other on book layouts.” Plossu and Nuñez also shared a technical complicity: “We were both die-hard fans of the 50mm camera.” This artistic closeness constantly nourished their relationship. “We always appreciated each other. We always loved the photos each other took.” This ongoing collaboration is evident in each image, where the line between photographer, model, and lovers blurs.
Bernard tells a touching anecdote about their mutual admiration. “My wife was discreet, she wasn’t loud. One day, a friend asked her, ‘Who is your favorite photographer?’ And she replied, ‘But it’s Bernard.’ I didn’t know. She never told me.” For his part, Plossu places Françoise among his four favorite photographers. “She is one of the photographers I love for their intelligence of the image.”
Today, Françoise is much more than a book: it’s a legacy for their children and grandchildren. “The hardest thing is knowing that our grandchildren will never know her.” Yet, through these images, Françoise lives on. “It’s a very hard, very sad, but very beautiful story. A traditional love story. We were very lucky in life to find each other.”
Three years after Françoise’s death, Plossu is beginning to find a new balance. “Now, it can’t just be a sad story. I also have to be able to accept it. For a while, I was in complete denial. I couldn’t bring myself to accept that she was no longer here.” What helps him move forward? Their children and grandchildren. “What also allows me to live now is that our children are here, and I’m a grandfather now.”
Closing Françoise, we understand that Bernard Plossu did not simply photograph his companion: he loved her through his lens, transforming each moment into eternity. These images, far from being relics of the past, still vibrate with the presence of the one who was much more than a muse – a soul mate, a collaborator, the light of his life.
Françoise, Bernard Plossu, Filigranes editions, May 2025.
