Guy Bourdin ranks high in the pantheon of the most important photographers of the second half of the twentieth century. Throughout his career, and notably as a star photographer through three decades for Vogue Paris, he dramatically extended the possibilities of what a fashion photograph could be, making images that are distinctive, intense, haunting, and unforgettable.

A painter all his life and an ever-curious self-taught photographer, Guy Bourdin pursued his unique artistic vision with single-mindedness and absolute integrity. An instinctive Surrealist, creator of enigmatic narratives, and a maverick art director, he conceived timeless images that have remained a powerful influence and inspiration for successive generations.