Paolo Roversi on 27 Years of Dior Photography and New Rizzoli Monograph

Italian photographer Paolo Roversi, born in Ravenna in 1947, has published "Dior Images: Paolo Roversi" with Rizzoli International. The 168-page volume collects his work for Christian Dior over 27 years, including both previously published images from Vogue and W and new photographs of contemporary models wearing historic Dior garments from 1947–1957. The book features a preface by philosopher Emanuele Coccia and is directed by Grace Coddington. Roversi, who met the brand's creative directors from Yves Saint Laurent to Maria Grazia Chiuri, discussed the project at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan during fashion week. He emphasized his preference for analog photography and printed books over digital, describing his process as a "confession" and a "two-faced mirror." The monograph includes original drawings by Christian Dior. Roversi, who built his first darkroom in his parents' cellar after a trip to Spain, credits his encounter with art director Peter Knapp for teaching him editing. He cites poets such as Petrarch, Montale, Quasimodo, Ungaretti, and Leopardi as influences, and once slept under the window where Nicéphore Niépce took the first photograph.