Bettina is back: 35 years of bold and challenging photography

Since the late 1970s, Bettina Rheims has shaped contemporary photography with her provocative and uncompromising vision. This retrospective gathers more than 300 images from her 35-year career, carefully selected by the artist herself, spanning from her early series of strippers in Pigalle (1980), through Chambre close, Héroïnes, and Rose, c’est Paris, to recent projects like Gender Studies (2011).

The book offers a journey that challenges traditional iconography, exploring the boundary between beauty and imperfection. With her unique perspective on femininity, Bettina portrays both anonymous women and major celebrities, including Kate Moss, Madonna, Monica Bellucci, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, highlighting their strength, fragility, and sensuality beyond the classic molds of eroticism.

About the author

Bettina Rheims, a French photographer of international renown, is the author of series such as Female Trouble, Modern Lovers, Chambre Close, I.N.R.I., Shanghai, More Trouble, Héroïnes, The Book of Olga, Rose, c’est Paris, and Gender Studies. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.

About the editor

Patrick Remy, author and curator, has published the Fashion Images series of Mode and Strip/Paradise/Desire/Sensation (Steidl), as well as monographs on major photographers and fashion exhibitions in Miami, Tokyo, and Melbourne.