One of our favourite photographers has found a great new subject…


All photos (c) Philippe Chaume / Fréd Lebain

We’ve been following the work of Fréd Lebain for a while now, and watched his slow ascent with satisfaction. He is now becoming quite a name, after commissions from important fashion mags, so naturally we were very happy to go along to the grand opening of his latest exhibition, Bibliothèques (bookshelves).

The idea is that during life one accumulates books. Just reading the titles on the spines gives you an idea of the person that bought them. In this latest set of photos Fréd Lebain replaces the books with pieces of wood, making it impossible to guess the character of the person behind the collection, but he takes a title from one of the books and names the photo after it, giving you a hint of the person’s character. The tiles are often pretty strange, like The Flying Saucers Have Landed or Rid Yourself of Pain With The Press Of A Finger…

Taking the concept of you are what you read even further, the photos pose the question of whether we can still get an idea of someone just from the size or quantity of books he/she has.

The photos are beautifully framed and sold in limited editions of five, with prices between 2,000 and 8,000 euros. We recommend going to see them!

Here’s all the essential information for the Bibliothèques photography exhibition by Fréd Lebain

When: 11th January – 16th February 2008
Where: Galerie Philippe Chaume, 9 rue de Marseille, Paris 10th arrondissement. Métro Jacques Bonsergent (line 5)
How much: free free free. Great isn’t it?

Bigger map here