Bettina is back: 35 years of bold and challenging photography
Since the late 1970s, Bettina Rheims has shaped contemporary photography with her provocative and uncompromising vision. This retrospective gathers more than 300 images from her 35-year career, carefully selected by the artist herself, spanning from her early series of strippers in Pigalle (1980), through Chambre close, Héroïnes, and Rose, c’est Paris, to recent projects like Gender Studies (2011).
The book offers a journey that challenges traditional iconography, exploring the boundary between beauty and imperfection. With her unique view of femininity, Bettina portrays both anonymous women and great celebrities, including Kate Moss, Madonna, Monica Bellucci, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, highlighting their strength, fragility, and sensuality beyond the classic molds of eroticism.
About the author
Bettina Rheims, a French photographer of international renown, is the author of series such as Female Trouble, Modern Lovers, Chambre Close, I.N.R.I., Shanghai, More Trouble, Héroïnes, The Book of Olga, Rose, c’est Paris, and Gender Studies. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.
About the editor
Patrick Remy, author and curator, has published the series Fashion Images de Mode and Strip/Paradise/Desire/Sensation (Steidl), as well as monographs on great photographers and fashion exhibitions in Miami, Tokyo, and Melbourne.
