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early life and photographic beginnings

jacques-henri lartigue, a renowned french photographer and painter, was born on june 13, 1894, in courbevoie, western paris, to a wealthy family. his fascination with photography began at the tender age of seven, capturing his friends and family in various activities such as running, jumping, racing homemade cars, making kites, gliders, and aeroplanes, and even climbing the eiffel tower.

photographic career

lartigue's photographic career spanned several decades, with a focus on automobile races, planes, and female parisian fashion models. he was one of the first artists to utilize the kodak brownie camera for snapshots, capturing the essence of early 20th-century france. his work included documenting sport events like the coupe gordon bennett and the french grand prix, as well as the flights of aviation pioneers such as gabriel voisin, louis blériot, hubert latham, louis paulhan, and roland garros.

transition to painting

while photography remained a passion, lartigue's primary source of income and living in his middle age was painting. however, he continued taking photographs throughout his life, maintaining written journals about them. it wasn't until the age of 69 that his boyhood photographs were 'discovered' by charles rado of the rapho agency, leading to an exhibition at the museum of modern art, curated by john szarkowski.

rise to fame and notable commissions

this exhibition in 1963 marked lartigue's rise to fame, opening doors to opportunities with several fashion magazines. a notable commission included shooting the official portrait of newly elected president valéry giscard d'estaing in 1974, resulting in a simple yet iconic photo against the national flag as background.

legacy and collections

today, lartigue's works can be found in various museums and collections, including:

• jacques-henri lartigue's "poussy, portrait with ring and glass bracelet" (museum of fine arts, boston) - view on AllPaintingsStore
• explore more of lartigue's photography and painting at AllPaintingsStore's jacques-henri lartigue page
• discover the musée des beaux-arts de carcassonne, featuring works by other notable french artists - read more on AllPaintingsStore

key dates: - june 13, 1894: born in courbevoie, western paris - 1963: exhibition at the museum of modern art - 1974: commissioned to shoot president valéry giscard d'estaing's official portrait - september 12, 1986: passed away