Paul Facchetti just passed away in Paris at the age of 98. This Italian born photographer, son of a fine arts professor at the Académie Brera of Milano, came to France with his family in 1928. He opened his first photography studio on the rue Saint Jacques in central Paris in 1935, attracting a wide variety of artists enthused by his ever-changing storefront display. It wasn’t until after the end of the Second World War that Facchetti was able to procure a studio large enough to shoot portraits for magazines including “Harper’s Bazaar”, “Vogue”, or “Life”. He was the author of the memorable picture of Brigitte Bardot, as yet unknown, posing in ponytails in between two refrigerators.

His very personal approach to photography led him to join the group “Subjektive fotogrfie” after meeting its founder Dr. Otto Steinert. During their first group exhibition in 1951, his work was presented alongside that of Brassaï, Kertész, or Callahan. It was at this time that he transformed his photography studio into a gallery, exposing such artists as Fautrier, Michaux, Riopelle, Dubuffet or Mathieu. But it was in March, 1952, that he made waves when he introduced the French public to the American artist Jackson Pollock. This success led to his opening a second gallery in Zurich, and a third in New York.

He is the object of two books published by Actes Sud in France: “Paul Fachetti Le Studio. Art informel et Abstraction Lyrique”, 2004, and “Paul Facchetti Photographe”, 2007.

Bernard Perrine
BernardPerrine@Le-Photographe.net
> photographer/journaliste
> Correspondant for the Institute of France