Jeanloup Sieff, the Eternal Dandy

Jeanloup Sieff (1993-2000) was a great French photographer. He began photographing in the early 1950s, worked as a freelance reporter, leaving aside his brief interest in cinema. He started shooting fashion photography, and in 1958 joined the Magnum Agency. Sieff was a star, one of the first French photographers who made it in America, a winner of several prizes, including the Prize Niepce, the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in Paris in 1981 and the Grand Prix National de la Photographie in 1992. He worked for numerous magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and also published books including J'aime la danse (1962) and Faites comme si je n'etais pas la (2000).


Jeanloup Sieff had a huge popular appeal, in France and elsewhere. His black-and-white pictures, always exquisitely printed, became his trademark style. Dancers and nudes were two recurring themes in his works. A dandy all his life, early risers in Paris grew used to the longhaired and elegant man driving his stylish vintage English sports car for an early breakfast in the St Germain district.
This exhibition at Moderna Museet-Stockholm features a selection from Sieff's photographic oeuvre, with a special focus on his images portraying dance.

All images courtesy Jeanloup Sieff@The Estate of JeanLoup Sieff, Paris

Yves Saint Laurent, Paris 1971

Catherine Deneuve, Vogue, Paris, 1969

Ballet Paris Opera, 1960

Opera de Paris, 1988

Carolyn Carlson, Paris, 1974

Blanca Li, Paris, 1996

Judy, New york, 1965

Harper's Bazaar, Palm Beach, 1964

Harper's Bazaar, Hollywood, 1962

Courtesy Jeanloup Sieff@The Estate of Jeanloup Sieff, Paris

Moderna Museet-Stockholm

Jeanloup Sieff exhibition is currently on view February 19 - May 22, 2011