About The Work
Since the early 70's, each of Roman Opalka's photos has been taken the same way—dressed in a white shirt, posing in an attitude which is as neutral as possible. He tries to avoid any sentimentalism, any attempt at idealisation or monumentalisation. His sole aim is that the photograph stops time, freezes a split-second, and lets a face emerge. Over the course of years, this succession of images witnesses the appearance and progression of aging, of the slow advance towards death. Among the thousands of photographs produced by Opalka, only a few have achieved the absolute neutrality he demands, and deserve to exist as works. Each of these selected images has been printed as a single copy, and signed. For this edition, Opalka chose with particular care 50 self-portraits spread over the period 1972 to 2008. Each of them is then reproduced on a simple cahier. On the page facing each is a caption: the number painted on the canvas at the moment of that photograph. This selection of 50 cahiers constitutes an exceptional edition.
Galerie 8+4 / Bernard Chauveau
About Roman Opalka
Photograph
Set of 50 self-portraits; Bichromie print on paper
9.45 x 11.81 in
24.0 x 30.0 cm
This edition comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist.
About The Work
Since the early 70's, each of Roman Opalka's photos has been taken the same way—dressed in a white shirt, posing in an attitude which is as neutral as possible. He tries to avoid any sentimentalism, any attempt at idealisation or monumentalisation. His sole aim is that the photograph stops time, freezes a split-second, and lets a face emerge. Over the course of years, this succession of images witnesses the appearance and progression of aging, of the slow advance towards death. Among the thousands of photographs produced by Opalka, only a few have achieved the absolute neutrality he demands, and deserve to exist as works. Each of these selected images has been printed as a single copy, and signed. For this edition, Opalka chose with particular care 50 self-portraits spread over the period 1972 to 2008. Each of them is then reproduced on a simple cahier. On the page facing each is a caption: the number painted on the canvas at the moment of that photograph. This selection of 50 cahiers constitutes an exceptional edition.
Galerie 8+4 / Bernard Chauveau
About Roman Opalka
- Ships in 10 to 14 business days from France.
- This work is final sale and not eligible for return.
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