French photographer Brigitte Lacombe is known for her influential and revelatory portraiture.
For four decades she has created iconic and intimate photographs of many of the world’s most celebrated artists, actors, politicians and intellectuals.
In 2023, Lacombe’s museum exhibit “FACE TO FACE” with Catherine Opie and Tacita Dean, curated by Helen Molesworth, a selections of Artists Portraits was shown at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in NYC
Her work has been exhibited at Phillips Galleries in NYC, London and Paris, Sotheby’s Gallery London, Qatar Museums (QM), Shanghai Center of Photography, The Museum of the Moving Image NY, Paris Cinematheque, and Berlin’s Deutsche Kinemathek
“Brigitte”, a documentary film by director Lynne Ramsay, commissioned by Miu Miu Women’s Tales, (MMWT) premiered at the Venice and New York Film Festivals in 2019
In 2023 Lacombe was honored by the Ministry of Culture as one of France “100 Women of Culture”
Her books include:
“Lacombe Anima | Persona”, a retrospective book of photographs from 1975-2008, published in 2009 by Steidl/Dangin, with an essay by Frank Rich
"Lacombe Cinema | Theater", published in 2001 by Schirmer/Mosel with essays by David Mamet and Adam Gopnik
“Breakthrough Prize, vol. 1, 2012-2016” and “Breakthrough Prize, vol. 2, 2017-2019” portraits of top scientists, published by the Breakthrough Foundation
“Forward , 20 Years of TimesTalks” a book of portraits commissioned and published by The New York Times, 2019
“Hey Ya, Arab Women in Sport” an exhibit commissioned and published by Qatar Museums, 2012
She received the Eisenstaedt Award for Travel Photography (2000), the Lifetime Achievement Award for Photography (Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, 2010), and the Lucie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Travel & Portraiture (2012).
Her photography has appeared in publications around the world including Vanity Fair, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, German Vogue, British Vogue, L’Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Financial Times Magazine & HTSI , “M” Le Monde, Zeit Magazine.
As a special visiting photographer, Lacombe has worked on many film sets starting with Alan Pakula’s “All the President’s Men” and “Fellini’s Casanova” both in 1975, and Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in 1976.
For the last 25 years Lacombe has worked on all Martin Scorsese ’s films sets, a unique position.
Other directors included :
Mike Nichols, Anthony Minghella, Lynne Ramsay, Spike Jonze, Bennett Miller, James Gray, David Mamet, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Bernardo Bertolucci, Steven Spielberg, Sydney Pollack, Sam Mendes, and Michael Haneke …..
She is often invited to photograph landmark theater productions as well as documenting their rehearsals process.
In 1983, Lacombe worked on David Mamet’s original production of "Glengarry Glen Ross" at The Goodman Theater in Chicago. In 1985, Lacombe became the first and only staff photographer for Lincoln Center Theater in NY for 7 years.
Lacombe has photographed advertising campaigns for Dior, Chanel, Prada, Carolina Herrera, Armani, Zegna, Hermes, Lancome and others.
Lacombe is currently at work on a Book “ A Visual Memoir “
She lives in New York City.
