Bettina Rheims

Bettina Rheims is a contemporary French commercial and fine art photographer known for her erotic depictions of women. Frank portrayal of the nude body has remained the focus of her practice, which bears the influence of Helmut Newton. Among her best-known works is the series Chambre Close (1990–1992), featuring color photographs of women in nude in unconventional poses, which culminated in the publication of a photobook in 1992. Born on December 18, 1952 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the former journalist, gallerist, and model was the subject of a solo exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1981. It was her portraits of acrobats, striptease performers, and androgynous youths as seen in her series Modern Lovers that first garnered her critical acclaim. Rheims has gone one to photograph fashion models and celebrities for magazines and newspapers such as Elle, L’Officiel, and Marie Claire, as well as ad campaigns for Chanel and Lancôme. Rheims won the Grand Prix de la Photographie de la ville de Paris in 1994 and the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2002 for her work. She currently lives and works in Paris, France. Rheims’s works are held in the collections of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Museum for Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main.

source:artnet.com