Always eager to endorse our favourite art-world individuals, Guy Bourdin - in all his posthumous glory - has clocked up a fair few W* column inches of late. A few months ago we featured Galleria Carla Sozzani's Unseen exhibition in Milan, and this month we wait in anticipation for Bourdin's latest outing in London's East End.
Curated by The Wapping Project in collaboration with art auctioneers Phillips de Pury - the London-based gallerists have uncovered 32 previously unexhibited photographs from Bourdin's oeuvre for their Unseen show.
See more of Guy Bourdin's uncovered photographs from the show
Refreshingly unassuming, Bourdin made little, or no, effort to formally exhibit any photographs during his career. Adopting the pages of glossy magazines as his milieu, Bourdin's surrealist narratives and sexed-up sets transcend the page-confined precincts of his photographs.
With several of his double-page-spreads from 1980's era French Vogue on shown, Bourdin's improbably leggy muse - model Nicolle Myer (who later went on to write Bourdin's biography) - is a regular feature. Both objectified and animated, Bourdin's subjects assume an eerily malleable, doll-like flawlessness.
As an artistic rule, we are of the school that when it comes to never-before-seen - the for-a-good-reason tagline should probably follow. Guy Bourdin's latest airing however, offers followers and fledglings alike the chance to view some of his finest photographic work - and what's more, it can all be enjoyed against the fittingly offbeat backdrop of Wapping Hydraulic Power Station.
ADDRESS
The Wapping Project
Wapping Hydraulic Power Station
Wapping Wall
London E1W 3SG
-
This curvy stovetop espresso maker brings a shot of artistry to your coffee ritual‘The Anticline’ stovetop espresso maker by Cultivation Objects takes its name from a geological formation and wins a Wallpaper* Design Award 2025 for its curves
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2025 highlights: Dolce & Gabbana to Emporio ArmaniDespite a reduced schedule, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives this weekend with plenty of intrigue, beginning with high-wattage shows from Dolce & Gabbana and Emporio Armani. Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss reports from Milan
-
Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
