Hervé Guibert’s Italian Moments
The exhibition “Voyages en Italie”, at Les Douches gallery in Paris, reveals the role Italy played in writer and artist Hervé Guibert’s life and creative journey.
From the Grand Tour, undertaken by 17th to 19th century British aristocrats, to contemporary times, the “trip to Italy” is a motif that inspired countless painters, architects, musicians and filmmakers. Hervé Guibert’s photographs span from 1979 to 1990, blending his stay in Rome’s Villa Medici with the final days on Elba island. Shooting with a Rollei 35, he captured still lives, reflections, and above all the creative and subtly erotic moments he shared with his friends.
Hervé Guibert - Self-Reflection in Window with Rollei, 1988 © Christine Guibert/ Courtesy of Les Douches la Galerie, Paris
Hervé Guibert - The Little Horseman and the Painting, Villa Medici, 1989 © Christine Guibert / Courtesy of Les Douches la Galerie, Paris
Hervé Guibert - Eugène Doing a Handstand, 1988 © Christine Guibert / Courtesy of Les Douches la Galerie, Paris
"I will always resist being a photographer: this attraction frightens me, it seems to me that it can quickly turn into madness, because everything is photographable, everything is interesting to photograph, and from a single day of one's life, one could carve out thousands of moments, thousands of small surfaces, and if one starts, why stop?"
Hervé Guibert - The Departure, 1982 © Christine Guibert / Courtesy of Les Douches la Galerie, Paris
Hervé Guibert - The Stairs, Eugène, Villa Medici, 1988 © Christine Guibert / Courtesy of Les Douches la Galerie, Paris
Hervé Guibert - Thierry at the Sacristy Window, Santa Catarina, 1983 © Christine Guibert / Courtesy of Les Douches la Galerie, Paris
The exhibition “Voyages en Italie” is on view at Les Douches gallery in Paris until April 3rd.
