Guy Bourdin's Empty Pool: A Dreamlike Photograph from 1975
This article analyzes Guy Bourdin's 1975 photograph 'Piscine, Miami,' part of a series on photography and history. The image depicts an empty, dreamlike pool with striped mattresses in the background, never published in the press. Bourdin (1928-1991), a French photographer influenced by Surrealism, created thousands of color images devoid of figures, later using them as fragments in spectacular fashion spreads for Vogue and advertising campaigns for Charles Jourdan. The scene exudes a melancholic, theatrical atmosphere, blending reality with artifice and evoking a sense of confinement and strangeness.
Key facts
- Guy Bourdin photographed 'Piscine, Miami' in 1975.
- The image was never published in the press.
- Bourdin created thousands of color images without people.
- He used these images as fragments in later compositions.
- Bourdin worked for Vogue until the late 1980s.
- He began his practice in the mid-1950s.
- He was influenced by Surrealism.
- Bourdin broke conventions in fashion and advertising photography.
- He worked extensively for shoe brand Charles Jourdan.
- The photograph is part of a series on photography and history by Maud de la Forterie.
Entities
Artists
- Guy Bourdin
Institutions
- Vogue
- Charles Jourdan
- Louise Alexander Gallery
- The Guy Bourdin Estate
Locations
- Miami
- United States
Sources
- artpress —