Bettina Rheims
1952 (Neuilly-sur-Seine)
Living in : Paris
Working in : Paris
Artist's gallery
A prominent French photographer, Bettina Rheims began her artistic career in 1978, encouraged by Helmut Newton. She explored themes that would become the basis for her series, such as Stripteaseuses (Strippers) and Acrobates (Acrobats). During this period, she discovered the subject that would dominate her entire artistic career: the female model. She boldly declares: “I adore flesh. I am a photographer of skin.” Her numerous portraits of women, both famous and unknown, have been compiled into various photographic books. Each of her images delves into sexuality, transsexuality, and the ways in which we perceive naked and exposed bodies. Bettina Rheims’ raw style, which became her signature, is filled with a visceral, captivating emotion that plays on the confusion between the observer and the subject, between voyeurism and exhibitionism.
Great icons such as Madonna, Catherine Deneuve, and Charlotte Rampling have stood before her lens. Working mostly in the studio, Bettina Rheims enjoys creating elaborate setups that reveal her sense of perfection, her interest in storytelling, and also an unsettling atmosphere.
Living in : Paris
Working in : Paris
Artist's gallery
A prominent French photographer, Bettina Rheims began her artistic career in 1978, encouraged by Helmut Newton. She explored themes that would become the basis for her series, such as Stripteaseuses (Strippers) and Acrobates (Acrobats). During this period, she discovered the subject that would dominate her entire artistic career: the female model. She boldly declares: “I adore flesh. I am a photographer of skin.” Her numerous portraits of women, both famous and unknown, have been compiled into various photographic books. Each of her images delves into sexuality, transsexuality, and the ways in which we perceive naked and exposed bodies. Bettina Rheims’ raw style, which became her signature, is filled with a visceral, captivating emotion that plays on the confusion between the observer and the subject, between voyeurism and exhibitionism.
Great icons such as Madonna, Catherine Deneuve, and Charlotte Rampling have stood before her lens. Working mostly in the studio, Bettina Rheims enjoys creating elaborate setups that reveal her sense of perfection, her interest in storytelling, and also an unsettling atmosphere.