Lucien Clergue was born in 1934, the only son of parents who owned a small fruit shop in Arles, Southern France. At 10 years old he
experienced the destruction and poverty of war, which had a deep affect upon him. Given a box camera by his mother in 1948, he developed an interest in photography. His mother's declining health and subsequent death in 1952 had a profound influence on him at the age of 18.
He continued working in an office whilst at the same time teaching himself photography. Over the years Clergue formed lasting and influential relationships with many renowned people
throughout the world, including Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau, St John Perse, Roland Barthes, Michel Tournier, James Jones, Ansel Adams, Andre Kertesz, Irwing Shaw, Yasuhiro Ishimoto and Eikoh Hosoe, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau.
His changing artistic interests brought about a series of photographs in the war ruins of Arles, of dead animals, bullfights, and of the local marshes and nudes in the sea. The brilliance and integrity of his vision has caused private collectors and museum exhibitions to seek his work and Edward Steichen invited him to undertake a one-man show at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1961. His work was shown next year, 1962, at the pavillon de Marsan, Palais du Louvre, Paris.
He received National Order of Merit, from President Giscard d'Estaing in 1979 and the same year was oficially doctored at the University of Marseille-Provence, on a theses "Language of the sands". He received Legion d’Honneur, from Ministery of Culture, in 2003.
Apart from stills, he was awarded Prix Louis Lumiere in 1966 for his first short film - a form of art in which he remains active. Clergue
has published and ilustrated 70 books in which his black and white photographs complement the verse of well-known poets. He works
unceasingly in teaching photography, for publishing, and exhibitions. Whilst his reputation
has been made in black and white photography,
his striking colour works are published and exhibited as well. His recent book “Poésie photographique” (Prestel publ. Munich
2003) has been awarded among the 10 best books of the year worldwide.
In 1969 he has initiated The Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie of Arles, which celebrate their 35th anniversary in 2004
with an exhibition homage for his 70th birthday as guest of honor.
The most important public collection of his work in the U.S are located at FOGG Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge Massachusetts;
The University of Maryland, Catonsville Baltimore County ; The Milwaukee Museum of Art Milwaukee as well as the MOMA (New York) the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Bühl Foundation, New York.
Exhibition catalogue available for purchase. Please contact gallery for more information.
