Lartigue's Colour Photos Star in UK Exhibition
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- Jacques Henri Lartigue pioneered early colour photography as a teenager, creating intimate images despite the technically demanding process, with his colour work comprising nearly 40% of his vast archive
- MK Gallery hosts the exhibition Jacques Henri Lartigue: Life in Colour, featuring over 150 works including vintage prints, stereoscopic images, and archival documents until 4 October
- Lartigue captured high society and modern life in 20th-century France, with subjects including Pablo Picasso, Grace Kelly, and Jean Cocteau, often photographing speed and movement at events like the Monaco Grand Prix
- Lartigue shifted focus to painting during the 1930s due to cumbersome colour photography equipment and long exposure times, resuming colour work when technology improved in the 1950s
- Florette Lartigue, his wife of Italian origin, frequently appeared in his photos, reflecting his deep connection to Italy where they spent summers in Piozzo documenting rural life
- Lartigue is recognized as a pioneer of the spontaneous snapshot style, a precursor to street photography later popularized through platforms like Instagram
Why it matters: The exhibition reveals a long-overlooked dimension of Lartigue’s legacy—his extensive colour work—giving deeper insight into his artistic evolution and personal world, while correcting the historical emphasis on his black-and-white images despite colour making up a significant portion of his archive.
