Guy Bourdin

• A key influence on contemporary photography
  
• Essential for all scholars of fashion and advertising imagery
  

Guy Bourdin was one of the most acclaimed fashion and advertising photographers of all time. No stranger to controversy, his bold, stylized images constantly broke new ground. Bourdin’s sophisticated aesthetic made dramatic use of shapes and color and his subtexts were tantalizing and often bizarre. He made complex, surreal narratives his hallmark—linking simple objects with complicated stories. Many of his tableaux were enigmatic, guiding the viewer into a dream world laden with sex, bizarre juxtapositions and sometimes a hint of violence. There is nothing coy or cozy about his art!