Bruno Réquillart

Bruno Réquillart is recognised as a prominent figure in 1970s French photography, notable for his unconventional artistic path. Born in 1947, he studied graphic arts and communication before beginning his photographic journey around 1967–1968. His series reflect his exploration of the world and its representations. His early, uncommissioned images resemble reportage, capturing dance, theatre, urban life and social movements. He subsequently refined his photographic style, shifting towards conceptual art and exhibiting remarkable visual precision while exploring the interplay between space and surface. Using highly sensitive film to enhance the grain of his images, he was able to obscure his subjects and soften their features. His best-known works, such as Le Plongeur (1974) and the Versailles series (1977), epitomise this approach. 

In 1975, his work was exhibited at the National Library. The following year, he won first prize from the jury and second prize from the critics at the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie d'Arles. His series exploring parks and memorials foreshadowed his subsequent focus on Versailles in 1977, marking the culmination of his exploration of spatial perception. Having explored emptiness, he became intrigued by fullness, photographing Paris and incorporating people into his images. In 1978, he received accolades at exhibitions held at the Musée National d'Art Moderne (Centre Georges Pompidou) and the Zabriskie Gallery. However, in 1979, he turned his attention to painting. Meticulous and disciplined in his approach, he insists on photographing solely for his own vision and has consistently chosen to remain outside of conventional distribution frameworks.

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