De Monès was a photographer for Le Monde and Magazine Littéraire (amongst others) for several years, and this exhibition – organised by the Comité du Quartier Latin that we support – shows his portraits of some of the famous people he encountered during the 70s and 80s, many of the linked to the Quartier Latin…Born in 1952, Bruno de Monès grew up in Maorocco before returning to Paris in the 1970s. After starting off as an artist, he became the assistant of a fashion photographer in 1976, helping him to meet some of the big names in fashion, journalism, cinema, literature and music. The idea of taking their portraits was not far behind.Over the years he photographed Martin Amis, Kazuo Ishiguro, Arletty, Jane Birkin, Michel Bouquet, Marcel Carné, Jacques Doillon, Burt Lancaster, Charlotte Rampling, Simone Signoret, Yves Montand, Salvador Dalí, Jean Nouvel, Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, Charles Aznavour, Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Jean-Michel Jarre, Claude Nougaro, Serge Reggiani, Alain Souchon, Inès de la Fressange, Paco Rabanne… and the list goes on.

All of the above are in the exhibition which is being held under the arches of the Théâtre National de l’Odéon, Place de L’Odéon, rue de l’Odéon, rue de Médicis, rue Gay-Lussac and rue Claude Bernard, in the open air and in certain boutique window displays. Everyone can see the beautiful black and white prints, and it’s a great way to give everyone access to a little culture while discovering the are.

The Comité du Quartier Latin – organiser of the exhibition – tries to help maintain the cultural specificity of the Latin Quarter, with its heritage of literature and philosophy. We are proud to be part of it.

The Bruno de Monès exhibition can be seen in the area around the Théâtre de l’Odéon from 1st May – 26th June 2010.