Lucien Hervé: Building Images

Olivier Beer

Lucien Hervé (b. 1910), one of the great architectural photographers of the twentieth century, collaborated with Le Corbusier from 1949 until the renowned architect died in 1965. Hervé approached his subjects seeking not only to document the buildings he was commissioned to photograph but also, especially, to convey a sense of space, texture, and structure. Through light and shadow, Hervé defined the dialogue between substance and form. By delineating a strong contrast between light and shadow as well as placing emphasis on building details, the photographer was able to communicate the depth of a room, the surface of a wall, or the strength of a building's framework.

For too long, Hervé—the master of architectural photography—has eclipsed Hervé—the photographer—whose career began as early as 1938 and whose subject matter varied widely. Featuring more than one hundred of his photographs in every genre, this book celebrates Hervé's work as an artist, creating images that serve not simply as records but stand as works of a singular imagination.

Olivier Beer is a poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter.

224 pages
9 3/4 x 12 1/4 inches
12 color and 205 b/w illustrations
ISBN 978-0-89236-754-7
hardcover

Getty Publications
Imprint: Getty Research Institute
2004

• 
  "Superbly printed album which shows Hervé to be a master of composition, whether it's a close-up of the Eiffel Tower or a child silhouetted against a silvery expanse of ocean."
  LA Architect
  
  "A marvelous book to be enjoyed by architects, photographers, artists, and scholars."
  The Bloomsbury Review