1894-1986
Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894 -1986) was a French photographer noted for his sincere, often playful presentation of friends, family and French society at play.
At the age of six, Lartigue began photographing and sketching his neighbours and family in action. This lead him to skillfully move into a period of sports photography which lead to stunning images of early automobile races.
Although rarely seen, many of his early images were taken in stereo. He was an experimental artist at heart-not to mention an avid painter-working with varying film sizes and development processes including some of the earliest autochromes.
His greatest achievement was his set of around 120 huge photograph albums, which compose the finest visual autobiography ever produced. While he sold a few photographs in his youth, mainly to sporting magazines such as La Vie au Grand Air, in middle age he concentrated on his painting, and it was only at the age of 29 that his early photographs were discovered by Charles Rado of Rapho Agency. Rado introduced Lartigue of John Szarkowski, the curator of the MOMA, New York, who then put on an exhibition of his work.
Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894 -1986) was a French photographer noted for his sincere, often playful presentation of friends, family and French society at play.
At the age of six, Lartigue began photographing and sketching his neighbours and family in action. This lead him to skillfully move into a period of sports photography which lead to stunning images of early automobile races.
Although rarely seen, many of his early images were taken in stereo. He was an experimental artist at heart-not to mention an avid painter-working with varying film sizes and development processes including some of the earliest autochromes.
His greatest achievement was his set of around 120 huge photograph albums, which compose the finest visual autobiography ever produced. While he sold a few photographs in his youth, mainly to sporting magazines such as La Vie au Grand Air, in middle age he concentrated on his painting, and it was only at the age of 29 that his early photographs were discovered by Charles Rado of Rapho Agency. Rado introduced Lartigue of John Szarkowski, the curator of the MOMA, New York, who then put on an exhibition of his work.
From this, there was a photo spread in Life magazine in 1963, coincidentally in the issue which commemorated the death of John Kennedy, ensuring the widest possible audience for his pictures.
After this point, Lartigue was very often pursued by fashion magazines and international publications for his work, and he was commissioned in 1974 to shoot an official portrait of the newly elected president of France, Valéry Gsicard d'Estaing which later lead to his first French retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
His influence can be seen even following his passing, in the work of American Director Wes Anderson whose film Rushmore includes shots inspired by the artist. Lartigue's likenewss was also the basis for fellow artist Lord Mandrake's character in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
1894
Born at Courbevoie, France in June
1900
Using his father's camera (and with his help), Jacques Lartigue takes his first photographs.
1902
Henri Lartigue gives Jacques his first camera: a 13 x 18 chamber in wood.
1904
His father continues to give him cameras, which become progressively more sophisticated, lighter and easier to handle. Jacques can now
photograph anything (including movement) and, thanks to a stereoscopic camera, can even produce three- dimensional images (taking some 5,000 up to 1928).
1911
At the Sorbonne, he attends the lectures of Marius Aubert, assistant to Gabriel Lippmann who is perfecting a new process of color photography.
1912
Jacques Lartigue adds a new camera to his collection, a Nettel 6 x 13, which will enable him to photograph panoramic views.
1912
He is given a "Pathé" film camera by his father.
1914
Germany declares war on France. Jacques Lartigue's conscription is deferred for health reasons
1915
With ambitions of becoming a painter, Jacques Lartigue enters the Académie Jullian, where he studies under Laurens and Decheneau.
1916
Lartigue puts himself and his racing car (a Pic-Pic 16 hp) at the disposal of the army doctors staffing the hospitals of Paris.
1919
17 December: Jacques Lartigue marries Madeleine Messager, daughter of André Messager, composer and former director of the Opéra-comique, Paris, Covent Garden, London, and the Paris Opera.
1922
In Cannes, he photographs the soon-to-be- famous Suzanne Lenglen during training.
1923
Jacques Lartigue takes his first photographs using artificial light.
1932
Acted as assistant director on the film 'Le Roi Pausole' for which he also took the official photographs
1954
Albert Plécy publishes some of Lartigue's photographs in Point de vue and Images du monde
1955
Lartigue's photographs of Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau receive worldwide publicity.
1964
From this point on, Lartigue uses 24 x 36 reflex cameras (Pentax, Canon, Olympus).
1966
With the international publication of Family A/bum, Lartigue's work becomes known throughout the world.
1970
Publication of the book Diary of a Century (Stills from ray Life), conceived by the photographer Richard Avedon and containing photographs by
Jacques-Henri Lartigue taken after 1930.
1974
Appointed official photographer to mark Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's seven years as president.
1976
Jacques-Henri Lartigue carries out a photographic commission entitled La Star et son couturier, featuring actresses and costume designers.
1977
Lartigue carries out a series of portraits of Marc Chagall, at his home in Vence. The photographs are published in Vogue the following year.
1979
Jacques-Henri Lartigue donates his entire photgraphic work to the French state, comprising 130 original albums designed and captioned by himself, and some 100,000 negatives and prints in black and white and color.
1986
Died in Nice in September
Selected Exhibitions:
1964
First French retrospective of Lartrigue's work at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris
Lartigue 8 x 80
1963
The exhibition entitled The Photographs of Jacques-Henri Lartigue at the Museum of Modem Art, New York, launches the artistic career of "Lartigue the photographer". Following the American custom, he adds his father's first name to his own, becoming Jacques-Henri Lartigue.
1955
At the Galerie d'Orsay in Paris, Gens d'Images mounts an exhibition of photographs by BrassaDoisneau, Man Ray, and Lartigue.
1922
Exhibits his work at the Georges Petit gallery and in a number of Paris salons.