Pierre et Gilles

Pierre et Gilles – The blurred boundaries between photography and painting 

Pierre et Gilles were born Pierre Commoy in 1950 in La Roche-sur-Yon and Gilles Blanchard in 1953 in Le Havre. Both artists came from a Catholic background; their interest in art led Pierrre Commoy to study photography in Geneva, whilst Gilles Blanchard learnt the basics of painting in Le Havre. Pierre et Gilles moved independently to Paris in 1973 where they initially pursued their respective professions: Pierre photographed for various rock and pop magazines, and Gilles worked as a commercial artist and illustrator. Three years later, they met at the opening party of a boutique of the Japanese designer Kenzō Takada and became a couple privately as well as professionally. The beginning of their artistic collaborative work was marked by portrait photographs which Pierre took in his work as a photographer and which Gilles began painting over. Pierre et Gilles came upon the idea from the harsh passport photos churned out by cheap automatic machines.

Imaginative décor determines the character of the pictures

Pierre et Gilles were able to quickly present their work to a larger audience through their publication in various magazines, and soon received commissions from celebrities such as Marie France, Amanda Lear and Thierry Mugler. The working style remains the same: Pierre Commoy takes the portrait photographs in the joint studio, whereby those portrayed are often elaborately costumed and required to pose in front of a selected, specially assembled backdrop. The resulting photograph is then painted by Gilles Blanchard. Illustrious names portrayed include Catherine Deneuve, Serge Gainsbourg, Madonna, Nina Hagen and Paloma Picasso. As well as a series of child portraits, Pierre et Gilles primarily concentrate on men – naked men. The gay culture holds a focal point in the work of the artist duo to his day, shaping a large part of their joint oeuvre. The pictures can be reproduced as desired ad are also widely distributed; the combination of photography and painting nevertheless makes them incomparable unique pieces. 

The choice of motif also provokes public scandal

With their very particular and distinct work, Pierre et Gilles are often given the attribute of kitsch, meant both negatively and positively. Their motifs are sometimes controversial: whilst the image of Nina Hagen in a leather suit tied to a chair, and a sailor with his trousers down are still credited as artistic extravagance, other works provoke debate. The almost pornographic depictions of Christian saints with erect phalluses met not unsurprisingly with undivided approval. A young man in make-up, dressed as a concentration camp prisoner, with burning candles in front of a violet sky also had to acquiesce to the accusation of tastelessness. But none of this matters to Pierre et Gilles; they draw their art from their lives, from the often loud and shrill pop and gay scene. The pictures of the artist couple also experience censorship: on Facebook, the advertisement for the controversial exhibition Naked Men could only be shown retouched, whilst the organizer - the Leopold Museum in Vienna - had the displayed posters pasted over with covering panels.