Georges Dambier, Capucine pour Elle, Boulevard de la Madeleine, Paris, 1952 & Suzy Parker pour Elle, Maroc, 1953

Georges Dambier, Suzy Parker pour Elle, Maroc, 1953.

Gelatin silver print. 14 x 11 inches. 35.56 x 27.94 cm. Edition of 25. Signed. Estimate: from $2,000 to $3,000.

Artnet Auctions. Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 1:00 PM EST www.artnet.com

Georges Dambier, Capucine pour Elle, Boulevard de la Madeleine, Paris, 1952.

Gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 inches. 35.56 x 27.94 cm. Signed. Estimate: from $2,000 to $3,000

Artnet Auctions. Thursday, January 14, 2010, 1:00 PM EST www.artnet.com

Born in 1925, Georges Dambier first went to work for painter Paul Colin, where he learnt drawing and graphic design. Then he landed a job as assistant to Willy Rizzo, a famous portraitist photographer (Harcourt’s Studio, Paris Match). There, he discovered photography and was taught the fundamentals of this art, especially lighting. Georges Dambier was 20 when the Second World War came to an end, a moment when the social scene in Paris suddenly took off. Nightlife, subdued during the Occupation, exploded. … he frequented cabarets and jazz clubs in Saint Germain des Prés, where famous artists and celebrities organised glittering parties and balls. One night, he managed to take pictures of Rita Hayworth who had come incognito to a famous night club, Le Jimmy’s. He sold the exclusive images to France Dimanche … and won himself a job on the magazine as a photo-reporter. In his new post, he was sent to all over the world to cover current events. However, with his predilection for graphic design and aesthetics, his liking for refined mise-en-scene, and at the urging of many friends, such as Capucine, Suzy Parker, Jacques Fath, Bettina, Brigitte Bardot, Jean Barthet, he was lead towards fashion photography.

As Georges Dambier built and perfected his craft, he was hired by Helene Lazareff, director of Elle, the fashion magazine. She encouraged him and gave him his first assignment as a fashion photographer. Georges Dambier did not conform to the standard technique of taking fashion pictures, with models standing emotionless and seemingly indifferent to the camera. Instead, he showed models smiling, laughing and often in action. … Most of all, it was Georges Dambier’s ability to put his subjects at ease (many of them were friends) that helped him create true, intimate and lasting images. With his delicate style, and refined technique, his work revealed a reality of great elegance. As his career blossomed, he became widely known for his ability to capture the essence of feminine chic and glamour in his images.

In 1954, Robert Capa asked him to lead a fashion department at the Magnum Photo Agency. Unfortunately, Capa died a few weeks later, while covering the Indochinese war. Meanwhile, Georges Dambier set up his own studio in Paris, Rue de la Bienfaisance. As a freelance photographer, he continued to contribute to Elle and other magazines: Vogue, Le Jardin des Modes, Marie France….

In addition to his work in advertising, Georges Dambier did portraits for record covers and posters … As his reputation grew, so did opportunities to meet and photograph celebrities from different worlds. He captured the faces of the most notable artists of the 1960s ... In the late eighties, Georges Dambier retired to a quieter life in the countryside. He now lives in the Perigord, in a hotel which he converted from an old familial mansion….[georgesdambier]