Whether it is a matter of capturing Cesar’s giant thumb, a minuscule Van Cleef & Arpels brooch decorated with diamonds or a skeleton from the Galerie de l’Évolution du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Patrick Gries excels at photographing complex objects, whether they are monumental or minuscule.

Born in 1959 in Luxembourg, he began his studies at the École Normale in Belgium, before discovering American photography when he moved to New York in 1984. He thus became a photographer’s assistant, then a freelance photographer. In Paris, since 1992, he has fulfilled many commissions for the world of luxury goods, design and contemporary art. He has developed an expert technique for capturing complex environments, which is indispensable for contextualising artworks, earning him a reputation as a specialist among cultural institutions. He quickly became a reference in the milieu of art publishing, particularly for the Fondation Cartier and the Musée du Quai Branly.

Patrick Gries has collaborated on many books on art, fashion, architecture and design, while developing his more personal projects. In Évolution (2007), his photographs of two hundred and thirty skeletons present them as thought they were art objects that tell the story of life. More recently, he published Visibility/Invisibility, a series on the albinos of Tanzania.

http://www.patrickgries.com