Photographs and Art Direction by Cathleen Naundorf
Foreword by Jérôme Neutres
For many than two decades, Naundorf has used her expert photographic skills to pay homage to the haute couture aesthetic.
Combining her experiences in travel, art, and photojournalism, Naundorf elaborately arranges each detail of her images using storyboards and extensively researches the lighting for every image. Captures with analogue large – format cameras, each photograph is a singular vision suggesting romance, surrealism, exoticism, and above all else, fantasy.
Jérôme Neutres is the director of strategy and development of the Réunion des Musées nationaux and the Grand Palais and president of the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris. He curated in 2018 the Irving Penn exhibition in the Grand Palais.
“The artist’s book is a creation in itself, a piece of work developed by the artist based on a selection of her works. Cathleen Naundorf has published several artists’ books. Through its mastery and the perfection of its works, this new opus, Women of Singular Beauty: Chanel Haute Couture, is the product of a mature photographer who has attained the goals she has been setting herself for twenty years. I was fortunate enough to see the outline for this book and to look over the big notebook in which the artist had glued her images along with drawings and words. It is a dream of a book, showing images of dreams. These dreams occur with eyes wide open, and that is why they are called “works of art.”
Jerôme Neutres
Rizzoli edition 2018
Published in english and french
Limited edition, size 32 x 26 cm 208 pages
Photographs and Art Direction by Cathleen Naundorf
Foreword by Jérôme Neutres
For many than two decades, Naundorf has used her expert photographic skills to pay homage to the haute couture aesthetic.
Combining her experiences in travel, art, and photojournalism, Naundorf elaborately arranges each detail of her images using storyboards and extensively researches the lighting for every image. Captures with analogue large – format cameras, each photograph is a singular vision suggesting romance, surrealism, exoticism, and above all else, fantasy.
“The artist’s book is a creation in itself, a piece of work developed by the artist based on a selection of her works. Cathleen Naundorf has published several artists’ books. Through its mastery and the perfection of its works, this new opus, Women of Singular Beauty: Chanel Haute Couture, is the product of a mature photographer who has attained the goals she has been setting herself for twenty years. […] It is a dream of a book, showing images of dreams. These dreams occur with eyes wide open, and that is why they are called “works of art.”
Jerôme Neutres
Rizzoli edition 2018
Published in english and french
Limited edition, size 32 x 26 cm 208 pages
SOLD OUT
“Somebody like it Haute – Naundorf’s signature style celebrates dramatic design.“
Smithsonian , USA
“Passione Polaroid- When the great vision of haute couture struggle to fit into a shot , German artist Cathleen Naundorf captures them in large format images, almost suspended in time. Every photograph has a story behind it and in the end you collect an enormous number of fascinating stories.“
Book Moda , Italy
“For ever a splendour – a manifestation to elegance.“
Icon Die Welt , Germany
“Collecting her experiences in travel, art and photojournalism, Naundorf organizes every detail of her images meticulously ,using scrips and investigates the lighting of each photograph.“
La Fotografia , Spain
Photographs by Cathleen Naundorf
Foreword by Matthias Harder
Cathleen Naundorf has been working on a haute couture serie called „Un rêve de mode“ from 2005 to 2011. She concentrated on six couture houses: Chanel, Dior, Gaultier, Lacroix, Elie Saab and Valentino.
In reconition of her remarkable achievements as a photographer, she was privileged to have free access to all collections of the fashion houses in order to create her lavish film set productions.
TIMELESS ELEGANCE
“Un rêve de mode” the unique Polaroid photos correspond to the exclusivity of the Haute-Couture designs. Today the artist sees Haute Couture as the last element of free expression within the world of fashion production. Time and memories become blurred as we contemplate her delicate, unusual pictures, compiled from some 150 shooting sessions; the representation of reality gives way to the impression of subtle dream sequences. After all, fashion photography has always been about beauty and dreams – as well as their possible realisation in one’s own life. Some of Cathleen Naundorf’s Polaroids may contain the stuff of which icons are made, although – or perhaps because – they are disconnected from time. Matthias Harder
Matthias Harder Chief curater of the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin.
Prestel edition 2012
Published in english, french, german.
Limited edition, size 25 x 33 cm 178 pages
Sold out. Order last available signed books from our Atelier.
400€ + shipping
“Polas haute couture – the photographer Cathleen Naundorf is bringing out a beautiful book that carries well his name, both by subject and by technique. Going through the book you will be seduced and absorbed by the fantasy and deepness.”
Le Figaro, France
“Photographer Cathleen Naundorf, a protégée of master lens Horst P. Horst, has captured countless couture collections – from the work of Jean Paul Gaultier to John Galliano – with her large format camera. “
Harper’s Bazaar, USA
“Installed in France, german Cathleen Naundorf photographer who started in photojournalism, formed by Horst P.Horst, brings out today a beautiful book who gives us to see the nobles of haute couture.”
Le Monde, France
“Without tricks. Beyond usual fashion photography Cathleen Naundorf exposes her models as cloudy dreams of silk to the nagging disintegration of time “
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany
To complete your subscription, please check your inbox for a confirmation email from info@cathleennaundorf.com
and click the button inside to confirm your sign-up.
This extra step helps ensure our newsletters consistently reach your mailbox.