Price On Request Argentic print mounted on plexiglass 49,2 x 72 in (125 x 183 cm)Born in 1953 in Talence, Southwest France, Gérard Rancinan takes striking and graphic photographs that depict our relationship with popular culture and icons of our time, questioning newly established values. Rancinan began his photographic career as an apprentice in the photo lab of a Bordeaux daily newspaper, and later became a photojournalist at the age of 18, eventually working for newly founded Sygma photo-press agency. He spent 13 years at Sygma, covering major world events, from natural disasters to political upheavals, as well as sports, entertainment and fashion. He left Sygma to set up his own agency in 1986, before once again becoming independent in 1989. Rancinan’s imperious need to interpret the world has produced startling images filtered through a unique aesthetic and journalistic prism. His photographs of athletes, artists, ecclesiastics and politicians are celebrated as richly artistic and historical investigations of contemporary portraiture, earning him four first prizes for the prestigious World Press Photo Awards. His works been published on the front pages of major magazines internationally. As a fine art photographer, Rancinan incorporating traditional modes of photography with inventive narratives, giving a sensitive and unique view of the world we inhabit. Rather than presenting reality at face value, these fastidious compositions explore and critique social currencies through raw and destabilising imagery. One of France’s leading photographers, Rancinan has exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide, and is part of many prestigious private collections of contemporary art. He was made Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2006, and later Officier des Arts et des Lettres in 2013.