GASTON PARIS: CENTRE POMPIDOU AND GALERIE ROGER VIOLLET EXHIBITIONS
A talented photographer and a diligent and frequently published reporter, particularly in VU magazine, Gaston Paris (1905-1964) remains largely unheard of. A virtuoso technician and brilliant observer, he worked, alongside much more recognized practitioners, to satisfy the visual appetite of the 1930s. Two exhibitions, which recently opened in Paris at the Centre Pompidou and Galerie Roger Viollet give us a chance to rediscover the importance of this photographer, undeniably influenced by Surrealism. In fact, he was one of only a handful of photographers who documented the mannequins of the legendary Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme, held at Galerie Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1938. Although perhaps the least known, his photographs of the mannequins arguably reflect the most talented and sophisticated eye and most interesting and unusual point of view among a standout group of peers, including Man Ray. Ubu Gallery is pleased to have highlighted this underrated luminary in our 1995 exhibition, Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme, Galerie Beaux-Arts, Paris 1938: An Homage, more than 25 years ago.