The master photographer’s compelling images of his two most intimate passions: art and flowers.
“His photography has an innate capacity to evoke emotion and tell stories that linger in the mind long after the image is seen,” writes Dries Van Noten in the foreword to this two-volume series of images.
Long revered for his personal photography of the world’s most celebrated buildings and interiors, Halard strikes a new path with two new bodies of work. Confined to his house in Arles after a shoulder injury in early 2024, Halard began photographing the objects immediately surrounding him with his Polaroid camera. In turns traditional and abstract, the Flowers series is a captivating exploration of nature’s beauty. As beautifully described by fashion designer Dries Van Noten, “The Polaroid captures a fleeting moment, blossoming into a lasting memory, while the real flower, vibrant and alive, ultimately withers away, reminding us that beauty can be both preserved and ephemeral.”
In the second series, Art, Halard has enlarged a select number of his Polaroids, which he then worked on top with paint, wax, and other materials to give the final results a strong, layered sense of history and memory. Many of the images are made of ancient statuaries or details of Renaissance paintings from Italy and Greece—the tight crop of a marble head, or the folds of 15th-century drapery. “I am delving into the idea that antiquity can be modern,” Halard states in his interview with art curator Bice Curiger, “I like to start with a specific object to turn it into another, transitory object.” Halard’s transformation of the ephemeral into the permanent, in the case of his flowers; and the permanent into the ephemeral, in the case of his Classical-inspired artworks—give power and beauty to these compelling images.
"Confined to his home in Arles after a shoulder injury in 2024, interiors photographer François Halard made the best of a lousy situation. He started photographing flowers with his Polaroid camera while also altering past “flawed” Polaroids—many depicting ancient statuary and classical art—with paint and wax to create new works of art. The result is a lush, two-volume compilation of these dual artistic explorations—one examining the ephemeral transcendence of flowers, and the other, the mutability of time and artistic fragments." — FREDERIC
"For François Halard's Art & Flowers (Rizzoli), the renowned photographer took casual Polaroids, captured at his house in Arles while he was recovering from an injury, and layered them with paint and wax to give the images an isolated, meditative quality. "I am delving into the idea that antiquity can be modern," he writes." — VOGUE
" If you have a friend who loves interior design, then you've likely seen a coffee table book by a certain photographer in their personal collection. On this episode, Dan meets a beloved photographer known for his keen eye and unparalleled access: Francois Halard. The pairs speak about how he got his start in the world of magazines, including his many years at various Condé Nast, the success of his eponymous first three books with Rizzoli, and his latest, Francois Halard: Art & Flowers that moves his art from the photographic documentation of spaces to unique works of fine art." — THE GRAND TOURIST
Francois Halard has been a regular contributor to American Vogue, Apartamento, T Magazine, and Cabana, among others, for over thirty years. His work for these publications established him as the most prolific and well-known interior and architectural photographer of our time.
The master photographer’s compelling images of his two most intimate passions: art and flowers.
“His photography has an innate capacity to evoke emotion and tell stories that linger in the mind long after the image is seen,” writes Dries Van Noten in the foreword to this two-volume series of images.
Long revered for his personal photography of the world’s most celebrated buildings and interiors, Halard strikes a new path with two new bodies of work. Confined to his house in Arles after a shoulder injury in early 2024, Halard began photographing the objects immediately surrounding him with his Polaroid camera. In turns traditional and abstract, the Flowers series is a captivating exploration of nature’s beauty. As beautifully described by fashion designer Dries Van Noten, “The Polaroid captures a fleeting moment, blossoming into a lasting memory, while the real flower, vibrant and alive, ultimately withers away, reminding us that beauty can be both preserved and ephemeral.”
In the second series, Art, Halard has enlarged a select number of his Polaroids, which he then worked on top with paint, wax, and other materials to give the final results a strong, layered sense of history and memory. Many of the images are made of ancient statuaries or details of Renaissance paintings from Italy and Greece—the tight crop of a marble head, or the folds of 15th-century drapery. “I am delving into the idea that antiquity can be modern,” Halard states in his interview with art curator Bice Curiger, “I like to start with a specific object to turn it into another, transitory object.” Halard’s transformation of the ephemeral into the permanent, in the case of his flowers; and the permanent into the ephemeral, in the case of his Classical-inspired artworks—give power and beauty to these compelling images.
Praise
"Confined to his home in Arles after a shoulder injury in 2024, interiors photographer François Halard made the best of a lousy situation. He started photographing flowers with his Polaroid camera while also altering past “flawed” Polaroids—many depicting ancient statuary and classical art—with paint and wax to create new works of art. The result is a lush, two-volume compilation of these dual artistic explorations—one examining the ephemeral transcendence of flowers, and the other, the mutability of time and artistic fragments." — FREDERIC
"For François Halard's Art & Flowers (Rizzoli), the renowned photographer took casual Polaroids, captured at his house in Arles while he was recovering from an injury, and layered them with paint and wax to give the images an isolated, meditative quality. "I am delving into the idea that antiquity can be modern," he writes." — VOGUE
" If you have a friend who loves interior design, then you've likely seen a coffee table book by a certain photographer in their personal collection. On this episode, Dan meets a beloved photographer known for his keen eye and unparalleled access: Francois Halard. The pairs speak about how he got his start in the world of magazines, including his many years at various Condé Nast, the success of his eponymous first three books with Rizzoli, and his latest, Francois Halard: Art & Flowers that moves his art from the photographic documentation of spaces to unique works of fine art." — THE GRAND TOURIST
Author
Francois Halard has been a regular contributor to American Vogue, Apartamento, T Magazine, and Cabana, among others, for over thirty years. His work for these publications established him as the most prolific and well-known interior and architectural photographer of our time.
