Bettina Rheims, born in Paris in 1952, first exhibited her work in 1981 at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. As a photographer of fashion and advertisement, Rheims is renowned for her ability to combine commercial and artistic work. Her publications include
Modern Lovers (Paris Audiovisuel, 1990) and
Female Trouble (Schirmer-Mosel, 1989) as well as the collaborations with Serge Bramly:
I.N.R.I. (Monacelli Press, 1999) and
Chambre Close (Gina Kehayoff, 1992). Winner of the City of Paris Photography Grand Prize in 1994, she was chosen to take the official portrait of President Jacques Chirac in 1995. Her most recent work is
X'mas (Scheer Editions, 2000), a monograph featuring sixty young girls, posing nude for the first time, in their own universe of unlimited fantasy. Rheims lives in Paris.
Serge Bramly was born in Tunisia in 1949 and came to Paris to study literature in 1961. He has published short stories, novels, biographies, screenplays, and photography, and has contributed essays to various exhibition catalogs. Bramly's fiction and essays have been published in numerous collaborations with Bettina Rheims, including
X'mas (Scheer Editions, 2000) and
Chambre Close (Gina Kehayoff, 1992). His biographies include
Leonardo: The Artist and the Man (Michael Joseph, 1992). Work from his photography collection was published in
Anonym (Gina Kehayoff, 1996). Bramly is a member of the purchase commission of the Centre Pompidou in Paris and has served as a curator for institutions and galleries. Bramly lives in Paris.
A VERY MODERN TRIBUTE TO THE WOMEN OF THIS ANCIENT AND FABLED CHINESE CITY In this album Rheims tries to break away from the stereotype of the image of the subjugated Chinese woman. Here are photos which vividly demonstrate the vibrancy and ineffable essence of these strong and dynamic women. The women of China are often pictured in the west with an outdated, stereotypical image of submissive and dominated ladies, quietly waiting at the beck and call of their men. But, as famed photographer Bettina Rheims reveals in SHANGHAI, once visitors catch a glimpse of Shanghainese women, they will stand corrected. Throughout China the women of Shanghai are renowned for their beauty and delicacy. But at home they are known as "tricky wives" who make their husbands do as they say. And at the office they are relentless professionals who display equal, if not more, competitiveness than their male counterparts. These women also take the lead in Chinese fashion. Once a walled village, Shanghai has since become China's leading industrial city. It is young, hip and trendy, a place of history and tomorrow.
In a tour de force through this ancient city and fabled culture, Rheims beautifully stages photographs of real women from all walks of life. In short, this book demonstrates in pictures what an ancient Chinese proverb says in words: "Men have their say, but women have their way."