An exhibition dedicated to the work of Jacques Henri Lartigue takes place this summer at Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image in Nice.

Organised by the Ville de Nice, this exhibition, entitled Jacques Henri Lartigue – Un monde flottant, runs from Friday, 17th June until 25th September, 2016. The vernissage takes place on Thursday, 16th June at 7pm.

Focusing on the theme of the passing moment, the brevity of happiness and fragility of life, the exhibition shows that the art of photography is as much the evocation of happiness as a continual struggle against oppression and death. This is the first time that it will be shown in France.

Alongside the exhibition, there will also be screenings of the Philippe Kohly film “Jacques Henri Lartigue, le siècle en positif”, which run from the 5th July. The screenings, which last 56 minutes, will take place from 11am to 2pm and again at 4pm.

Jacques Henri Lartigue was born on the 13th June, 1894 in Courbevoie, and died in Nice on the 12th September, 1986. His interest in photography started at a young age when his father gave him his first camera when Jacques was just eight years old. Born into a prosperous family, he and his brother Maurice were fascinated by cars, aviation and any sports currently in vogue; Jacques used his camera to document them all. As he grew up, he continued to frequent sporting events, participating in and recording activities such as skiing, skating, tennis, and golf.

He also took up drawing and painting in 1915. After briefly attending the Julian Academy in Paris, he became a professional painter, exhibiting his work in Paris and the South of France. In 1919, Jacques married Madeleine Messager, the daughter of composer André Messager; their son Dany was born in 1921. The couple divorced 10 years later, in 1931. By this stage, he was already involved with Renée Perle, his Romanian muse (pictured in the poster above), with whom he spent two years on the French Riviera.

A painter and photographer, Lartigue became famous for his photographs evoking family life and the worldly society of the Belle Époque. He tried many new photographic techniques in his time; shots of moving subjects, the early days of aviation, sporting events, and also the “ladies” of the Bois de Boulogne, as well as photographs of the French Riviera, where he lived from 1908 to 1980. He is considered as a genius of black and white photography in the twentieth century.

Jacques Henri Lartigue – Un monde flottant, runs from Friday, 17th June until 25th September, 2016 at the Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image – Charles Nègre in Nice.

CONTACT DETAILS
Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image – Charles Nègre
27, boulevard Dubouchage
06000 Nice

Tel: + 33 4 97 13 42 20

Lead image courtesy Ville de Nice; all other images courtesy TPI