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Poetry of the Moment
Poetry of the Moment
Sabine Weiss
April 27, 2022
Porte de Saint-Cloud, Paris, 1950
© Sabine Weiss
Through to October 23, 2022, Casa dei Tre Oci in Venice dedicates a major retrospective to the oeuvre of Sabine Weiss. The Franco-Swiss photographer, who passed away at her home in Paris in December 2021, aged 92, ranked among the most important representatives of French humanist photography – on par with Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis, Edouard Boubat, Izis and Brassaï.
The exhibition of over 200 photographs is the most comprehensive tribute to the artist’s work to date. In fact, Weiss had even opened her personal archive in Paris to contribute to this selection. The resulting showcase, which also includes vintage publications and magazines, encompasses the photographer’s entire career – from her beginnings in 1935, all the way to the 2000s. Her images of children and passers-by exemplify the artist’s penchant for figures and gestures as a means of capturing moods and emotions: a hallmark of French humanist photography, to which she remained faithful throughout her career.
The exhibition of over 200 photographs is the most comprehensive tribute to the artist’s work to date. In fact, Weiss had even opened her personal archive in Paris to contribute to this selection. The resulting showcase, which also includes vintage publications and magazines, encompasses the photographer’s entire career – from her beginnings in 1935, all the way to the 2000s. Her images of children and passers-by exemplify the artist’s penchant for figures and gestures as a means of capturing moods and emotions: a hallmark of French humanist photography, to which she remained faithful throughout her career.
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Sabine Weiss
Sabine Weiss+-
Born Sabine Weber on July 23, 1924 in Saint-Gingolph, Switzerland. After training at the renowned Atelier Boissonnas in Geneva, she moved to Paris in 1946, where she first worked as an assistant to fashion photographer Willy Maywald. She began working as a freelance photographer in 1949, married the US artist, Hugh Weiss (1925–2007) in 1950, and became a member of the Rapho Photo Agency in 1952, working for numerous national and international magazines. The rediscovery of her early black and white photography in exhibitions since the late 1970s, was accompanied by new works created on numerous trips around the world. She favoured working with a Leica and a Rolleiflex. In 2017, the photographer – who had had French nationality for a long time – was honoured for her life's work by the Swiss Photo Academy. Weiss passed away in Paris on December 28, 2021. Her legacy is cared for by Photo Elysée in Lausanne, and includes around 160,000 begative, 7,000 contact sheets, 8,000 prints, 46,000 slides and comprehensive documentary material. More
Porte de Saint-Cloud, Paris, 1950
© Sabine Weiss
Fèlix Labisse, pittore decoratore, Neuilly, 1952
© Sabine Weiss
Porte de Vanves, Paris, 1952
© Sabine Weiss
Selbstporträt, 1953
© Sabine Weiss
L'uomo che corre (Hugh), Paris, 1953
© Sabine Weiss