The gallery on Rue des Beaux-Arts was not the largest in Paris, but on this damp October evening, it held a universe. Outside, a quiet queue of admirers, critics, and the curious pressed against the velvet rope. Inside, beneath soft, directional light, the walls breathed with the work of one man: David Hamilton.
However, the book is not limited to these subjects. It dedicates roughly half of its remaining space to other themes, including landscapes, cityscapes, flowers, and other still lifes. A few pages are even dedicated to his commercial work, including his long-running advertisements for the Nina Ricci perfume L'Air du Temps . Some of the iconic and familiar photographs featured in the book include works such as The school performance, "Bilitis," Saint-Tropez, 1976 , The ballet school, Saint-Tropez, 1979 , and The three nymphs, Ramatuelle, 1988 . The final quarter of the book provides a more candid look at the man himself, showing him with his models and other important figures in his life. The gallery on Rue des Beaux-Arts was not
To look at and the sum total of 4,500 artistic photographies is to look through a keyhole into a world that never actually existed—except in the mind of one very persistent British expatriate living in France. It is a world without cars, without televisions, without pollution. A world where the light is always soft, the sheets are always white, and the girls are always daydreaming. However, the book is not limited to these subjects