Ralph gibson • VU, IMPRÉVU
GALERIE THIERRY BIGAIGNON
17 MARCH 2017 - 12 MAY 2018
A world's first. For the first time ever in his sixty-year career, Ralph Gibson revisits fifteen of his most iconic photographs... in music !
Following its 2016 exhibition where it showed the recent, digital, large format color works of Ralph Gibson, Galerie Thierry Bigaignon will once more indulge its ever-growing collector base as it chose to unveil another side of its legendary artist: his lesser-known talent for music and his guitar prowess. Celebrated as a Master photographer since he invented a new photography language in the 1970s, Ralph Gibson’s double virtuosity will be honored for the first time in his career.
The exhibition will give an unprecedented opportunity to revisit 15 of Gibson’s most iconic photographs in a totally unique way. These images, carefully selected by the artist and the gallerist, were shot between 1968 and 1990. Each photograph will come as a fine silver gelatin print and will be accompanied by a musical piece which was specifically composed, played and recorded by the artist for this exhibit.
The ears don’t have eye-lids!
Thierry Bigaignon who was lucky enough to spend much time alongside Ralph Gibson in his New York studio soon understood that music was holding a huge part in Gibson’s life and has being doing so for the last 70 years or so! Ralph Gibson comments: "Music is a universal language. All art strives to be music. Closing your eyes will turn any photograph in an abstract souvenir. Music is different. It cannot be ignored. The ears don’t have eye- lids! ». And Thierry Bigaignon adds: "Henri Cartier-Bresson once said to photograph is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart. By combining music to photography, Ralph carries on that line towards the soul."
Rare and innovative collection pieces!
A very special care was given to the object itself which will be exhibited from March 17th. Each of these pristine black & white silver gelatin prints will come in an edition of 3. Provided in a special format, they will all show at their verso a hand-written and signed musical score by the artist. And the gallery will use for the first-time an in-house innovative frame that will integrate an NFC chip allowing the collector to stream the music of each photograph on a smartphone while viewing it. For Thierry Bigaignon: "To musically illustrate these magnificent photographs offers us yet another opportunity to present rare collection pieces and to showcase innovations which we think will make history. It is our gift to collectors, and photography enthusiasts alike, who have followed and admired for decades the immense body of work of this legendary artist."
