Christer Strömholm Livres

'Les Amies de Place Blanche' focuses on the transsexual community living around the Place Blanche district of Paris in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

This book presents little-known photos by the legendary Swedish photographer Christer Strömholm (1918–2002) selected by Gunnar Smoliansky. In the late 1980s, gallerist Kim Klein proposed a small exhibition of Strömholm’s pictures at the Lido Gallery in Stockholm. Strömholm agreed and entrusted Smoliansky with making a selection from his early 6x6 Rolleiflex negatives. Smoliansky was delighted to do so―the planned 10 to 12 photos soon ballooned to 70―and he printed two sets, one for Strömholm and one for himself. The photos date from the late 1940s and early ’50s, and show Strömholm’s formative years in Paris, the south of France, Morocco and other destinations. Most of these pictures had never before been printed, let alone publicized, until their exhibition in 1990.

Post Scriptum Christer Strömholm is by far the largest monograph detailing the life and work of one of Sweden's greatest photographers. With nearly 270 of Christer Strömholm's best photographs, and including a biography by author Johan Tell and essays by journalist Carole Naggar and gallery owner Christian Caujolle. Christer Strömholm (1918-2002) is considered to be one of the most important Swedish photographers of our time. He spent most of his life in Sweden but early on made France his second home. He founded the legendary photography school Fotoskolan in Stockholm in 1962 and inspired an entire generation of photographers. His first book, Poste Restante, made him a renowned photographer and his depiction of transsexuals in the Paris of the 1960s resulted in Vännerna från Place Blanche (The Friends from Place Blanche). His images from travels in Japan, Spain and the United States have won wide acclaim and he is represented in several of the world's leading museums. Christer Strömholm was appointed professor of photography by the Swedish government and was honoured with the prestigious Hasselblad Award in 1997.