Pierre et Gilles, the French duo composed of photographer Pierre Commoy (b. 1950, La Roche-sur-Yonn) and painter Gilles Blanchard (b. 1953, Havre), have been working together since 1976, merging their artistic practices in a unique way nowadays internationally recognized. Emblematic of their oeuvre, singular portraiture pieces which serve as a cartography of our current times. Pierre et Gilles’ formula is based on a delicate symbiosis of their practices. Together, they conceptualize and prepare a mise-en-scène, which Pierre immortalizes with his medium par excellence, photography, the image is then printed on canvas and finally embellished by Gilles’ brushes. The resulting pieces are thus hybrid portraits, which are also a blend of pop culture, art history, mythology, and religious references. Composite, colourful, and unapologetic, their pieces have a kitsch-like air and an unmistakable attractiveness. Thanks to a smart allusive visual language Pierre et Gilles create strong portraits that are both alluring while disturbing, ironic and lighearted, yet putting forward a conscious and critical view on our actuality.
