Lucien Clergue, Jean Cocteau, Testament of Orpheus, Photographs From 1959, Curated By James Cavello

SOHO, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 18 -- Exhibition Opening Lucien Clergue JEAN COCTEAU Testament of Orpheus 1959 Photographs, Curated by James Cavello at The Westwood Gallery, 568 Broadway • New York, NY 10012 • Tel: 212-925-5700 info@westwoodgallery.com • www.westwoodgallery.com The Westwood Gallery is hosting an exhibition of photographs from Lucien Clergue from November 18 to December 30th, 2011. Clergue photographs and documents the haunting final film of Jean Cocteau entitled Testament of Orpheus (Letestament d'Orphée).The film directed and starring Jean Cocteau, represents the third part of his Orphic Trilogy following The Blood of a Poet (1930) &Orphée (1950). The black-and-white film includes a few seconds of color, and portrays the quest for divine wisdom of an 18th century poet, played by Cocteau himself. Lucien Clergue: For over fifty years, Lucien Clergue has been an independent photographer, known for his thirty year association with Picasso, as well as other creators,including Edward Steichen, Jean Cocteau, Max Ernst, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Salvador Dali, Jean Renoir, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, André Kertész, Marcel Breuer, Roman Polanski, Umberto Eco, Robert Rauschenberg, and many other artistic individuals. Lucien Clergue's talent also extended to music -- as a child violinist he was inspired by the rhythm, melodic quality and some- times haunting effect of music. In the early 1950's in Arles, France where Clergue was born, he photographed gypsy families and met Jose Reyes of The Gipsy Kings and his cousin, flamenco guitarist, Manitas de Plata. For many years Clergue teamed the singer and guitarist and traveled the duo around the world with performances at Carnegie Hall. Clergue also directed a film, Delta de sel with music by Manitas de Plata which was nominated for an academy award he went on to create and direct numerous art-related films (Picasso, War, Love and Peace, 1968, produced by Universal Pictures). The subjects of Clergue's photographs have spanned the decades capturing extraordinary images of Saltimbanques, undulating nudes, intimate portraits of Picasso, Cocteau, Hockney, reflective images, the bullfight, death-related concepts and experimental fine art photographs. Clergue’s photographs are in the collection of over 60 well-known museums and private collectors. His photographs have been exhibited in over 100 solo exhibitions worldwide, with noted exhibitions such as Museum of Modern Art New York. PHOTO CREDIT: Copyright © 2011 Manhattan Society.com by Gregory Partanio |tel:718.614.7740 | e-mail: PrinceGregory@manhattansociety.com | Bookings: bookings@manhattansociety.com*************Photo ID's Coming Shortly***********************