Philippe Garner has been a key figure in the international photography world for over 50 years. He was in charge of the December 1971 sale at Sotheby’s, London, the first specialist photography sale that was planned as part of that was planned as inaugurating a programme of sales.

Alongside his career as a specialist in photography, he has also had a parallel career as a specialist in decorative art and design. Unbeknownst to many, Garner is also a photographer, and this autumn, Hamiltons Gallery in London, presents the very first exhibition of his photographs, entitled Summer – Seventies – Saint-Tropez, and it coincides with the launch of his website, www.philippegarner.com.

Philippe Garner. 23 28 ED 13, MARSEILLE, 1975.
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.

The images in the exhibition – all shot on Kodachrome film, notable for the rich and vibrant saturation of its colours – takes the viewer back half a century to discover now-long-erased traces of an old Provence in and around Aix-en- Provence, where Garner was born. A discrete suite of images made on the now-legendary La Voile Rouge beach of Saint-Tropez capture the spirit of its raffish, chic-bohemian heyday.

Philippe Garner. CAR PARK, PAMPELONNE BEACH, 1974.
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.
CHEZ HELMUT NEWTON, LA CROIX-VALMER, 1975
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.

Garner explains: ‘I was twenty-three when I took the first of these pictures. Thinking back to those years, I recall how driven I already was to make images that captured the essence of all that engaged me. I had spent much time as a child and teenager in the South of France, based in Aix-en-Provence, where my grandmother lived. That region – including Marseille and the coastal resorts to the east of Marseille and their hinterland – became an important part of my life.’

Philippe Garner. CRACKED MIRROR, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1974.
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.
Philippe Garner. LUCILLA, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1977.
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.

’In the Seventies, camera in hand, I was able to respond to my fascination with such subjects as the artisanal typography of commercial signage, the emblematic weathered traces of a Provence that was slipping away, the qualities of the summer light, the sensuality of textures – be they of flaking paint, of food, or of tanned skin. It was fundamental to my approach then – and it remains the case for me today – that the technical aspect of my making photographs should be of the utmost simplicity. My challenge has always been to identify and frame the precise subject that could perfectly reflect my curiosity and my sensibility.’

Philippe Garner. MATÉRIEL BOULANGERIE-PATISSERIE, AIX-EN-PROVENCE, 1972. Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.

Read Michael Diemar’s interview with Philippe Garner for the E-Photo Newsletter HERE.

“The E-Photo Newsletter was started by Alex Novak in 1999 and is free of charge, subscribe HERE.

Philippe Garner. MATTRESS BOY, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1974.
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.
Philippe Garner. PAUL TOMASELLI, PROPRIETOR OF LA VOILE ROUGE, 1974.
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.

Philippe Garner
Summer – Seventies – Saint-Tropez

Hamiltons Gallery
13 Carlos Place
London W1k 2 EU

4 September – 4 October

www.philippegarner.com

Philippe Garner. MOULES MARINIÈRE, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1975.
Courtesy of Philippe Garner/Hamiltons Gallery.