Sur les vitres des surprises (1945-1950), gelatin silver print. Picture courtesy Rathbone Gallery
Exhibition: Blanc et Demilly – The Window of Surprises, Rathbone Gallery, London, until April 30 2009
Blanc et Demilly became pioneers of French photography after taking the revolutionary step of establishing a dedicated gallery in rue Carnot almost 75 years ago, giving the first glimpse of the vintage works opened at Rathbone this week (March 19 2009).
Jeune Fille Souriante - Spain (1934), gelatin silver print. Picture courtesy Rathbone Gallery
They exhibited at the first French national snapper exhibition a year after the end of World War Two, going on to sit on the jury between 1947 and 1959, and the 17 silver gelatine prints include portraits, still lives and photomontages from four decades of photography, having been hidden from view in a single family collection until now.
Le Tatoue (1933), gelatin silver print. Picture courtesy Rathbone Gallery
Born a year after his photographic partner, in 1892, Antoine Demilly met Theodore Blanc after they each married daughters of Edouard Bron, who ran a studio in Lyon from the early 1880s.
Portrait enfumé (1935-1939), gelatin silver print. Picture courtesy Rathbone Gallery
Demilly was Bron’s apprentice and Blanc was a keen amateur photographer, and the two men shared a single photographic identity, taking over Bron’s studio in rue Grenette in 1924.
Ombre sur le trottoir (1935), gelatin silver print. Picture courtesy Rathbone Gallery
The space boomed under their direction, employing up to 30 people, and from the 1920s they established themselves through innovative use of portable and discreet Leica and Rolleiflex cameras.
Carafes (1933), gelatin silver print. Picture courtesy Rathbone Gallery
The pair worked with portraiture, still life, nudes, abstraction, surrealism and reportage, pushing the boundaries of the medium.
Enfant au petit déjeuner (1936-1939), gelatin silver print. Picture courtesy Rathbone Gallery
They were also prolific peers of the likes of Brassai, Doisneau and Man Ray, publishing dozens of books and photographic journals.
Les Yeux Fertiles (1945-1950), gelatin silver print, Pic courtesy Rathbone Gallery
Rathbone Gallery, Windmill Street, London. Open 11am-6.30pm Tuesday-Friday, 11am-5.30pm Saturday. Call 020 7636 6699
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