Claire de Virieu, Nara II-3

Photographer Claire de Virieu has accustomed us to beautiful garden photographs covered with snow or shot at the height of summer like those in the book “Majorelle” published with Pierre Bergé. After travelling to Japan in 2011, she has brought back a series of photos of the sacred city of Nara, which are unlike anything she has done before. They are the result of her personal reflection and the shock she felt when confronted with Japan. A new step in her art.

Nara I-1

Exhibited at Galerie Pierre-Alain Challier in the Marais (17-25 February), her prints are closer to black and white paintings and remind us of the beautiful mountains photographed by Marc Riboud in China or lilies floating on ponds by Lois Conner. For the first time, Claire de Virieu’s landscapes become abstract and the text written by Véronique Brindeau in the catalog,  is a wonderful complement to the photos.

Nara II-8

Nature becomes dark and is in constant movement in these photographs which look more like prints (estampes). In her quest for Japan, Claire de Virieu has invited Roman painter Isabelle Ducrot to exhibit her large Japanese coats and ceramist Yoshimi Futamura to show her beautiful bowls, along her Nara series. The result is a fabulous celebration of Japan in the middle of Paris with a very special atmosphere and great refinement.

An edition of 60 portfolios with 20 prints each is also available for 1 200€ from Editions des Falaises

On Tuesday, February 21, a Japanese evening is organised at the gallery. The event will be spectacular for Japan lovers and we are all invited. (Galerie Pierre-Alain Challier,  8 rue Debelleyme, Paris 3)

Claire de Virieu is overwhelmed by Japan