Robert Doisneau might be best known for his black-and-white street photographs - but a new book, containing 100 archival, never-before-seen pictures proves that he was very much at home in colour photography too. In 1960, Doisneau was invited by Fortune magazine to cover Palm Springs, the hottest travel destination of the day. There, Doisneau took hundreds of photographs, twenty-three of which were published in the magazine. The rest have been rediscovered in his archives, and one hundred are featured in the book, Robert Doisneau: Palm Springs 1960, for the first time. The 156-page hardback will go on sale in September, priced at $34.95 USD / $39.95 CDN.

Press Release

ROBERT DOISNEAU: PALM SPRINGS 1960
By Robert Doisneau

Introduction by Jean-Paul Dubois

“A pairing that sounds like a sun-kissed fever dream actually happened in the early sixties.… Doisneau, the French master, caught something that was lodged deep in my own DNA. This was the Palm Springs I had grown up in, where Steve McQueen walked the streets along with tanned locals and sun-hatted tourists, where turquoise swimming pools reflected the sky with an odd romantic poetry that I once thought gone forever … until I saw these stunning images. A lost and essential treasure has surfaced in this wonderful collection. Long live Doisneau, and Palm Springs.” – Cameron Crowe

ROBERT DOISNEAU: PALM SPRINGS 1960 (Flammarion, $34.95 US, September 2010) is a previously unpublished collection of Robert Doisneau’s rare color photography, providing a unique opportunity to revisit the early years of one of America’s legendary holiday destinations. In 1960, Robert Doisneau was invited by Fortune magazine to cover Palm Springs, the hottest travel destination of the day. Renowned as a playground for the rich and famous, as well as for a silver-haired and well-heeled clientele, it was a world of swimming pools awash with bobbing beehives, martini-fueled parties, and relaxed games of golf, all unfolding against a breathtaking desert backdrop. There, Doisneau took hundreds of photographs, twenty-three of which were published in the magazine. The rest have been rediscovered in his archives, and one hundred are featured here for the first time.

While Doisneau is best-known for his black and white portraits of Parisian street scenes, this reportage on Palm Springs is an exceptional color collection—supplemented here with a facsimile reproduction of his original Fortune article—that offers a new perspective on his photographic legacy. Accompanying these nostalgic images are extracts from the photographer’s personal correspondence—small masterpieces of droll wit in which he describes being marooned in the “world capital of winter golf”—and an equally amusing introduction written by award-winning French novelist Jean-Paul Dubois. A dozen black and white images from this, Doisneau’s first, trip to America and a concise biography of the photographer’s life complete the volume.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/PHOTOGRAPHER: Robert Doisneau (1912–1994) is one of the world’s most famous and popular photographers. His poetic, touching, and at times nostalgic images have become iconic. He worked as a professional photographer in industry, journalism, and fashion, and later as a freelancer, but his real interest lay in capturing ordinary people in everyday situations. Flammarion has published Robert Doisneau: Paris (2005/2010) and Doisneau: Portraits of the Artists (2008). Jean-Paul Dubois has written numerous novels including Vie Française (Vintage, 2008). A select number of press images will be made available. No images may be reproduced, in print or electronically, without written consent from the publisher. Credit line for the book must read: © Robert Doisneau: Palm Springs 1960, Flammarion, 2010. Serial rights are available, please contact Jessica Napp @ 212 387 3436 or [email protected].

ROBERT DOISNEAU: PALM SPRINGS 1960
By Robert Doisneau, Introduction by Jean-Paul Dubois
Flammarion (distributed by Random House via Rizzoli New York)
Hardcover / 156 pages / 104 color and 14 b&w illustrations / 8? x 8?
ISBN: 978-2-08-030129-1
PRICE: $34.95 US / $39.95 CAN
PUBLICATION DATE: September 2010
www.rizzoliusa.com

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