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Raymond CAUCHETIER (1920–2021)
See original version (French)
12
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Raymond CAUCHETIER (1920–2021)
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,500 - €3,500
Voluntary lot
Description
Raymond CAUCHETIER (1920–2021)
*À bout de souffle*, Jean-Luc Godard. Walking down the Champs-Élysées. Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Champs-Élysées, Paris, 1959.
Later silver print, printed in 1998, signed in felt-tip pen, with ‘Copyright’ and title stamps on the reverse. Annotations (dimensions and references) in pencil on the reverse.
Size: 18 x 24 cm
‘I am always amazed when I see some of my photographs become iconic, symbolising not only the New Wave, but an entire era, and sometimes even France itself. Why do certain images emerge in this way, so unpredictably? […]
One of the most famous photographs is *La Descente des Champs-Élysées* from *À bout de souffle*. It should never have existed. Godard had great difficulty shooting this scene in which Belmondo meets Jean Seberg, a street vendor selling copies of the *New York Herald*. He’d planned to hide the cameraman in a Post Office delivery trolley, with a hole cut in the front, so as to film the actors, to whom he shouted the lines as discreetly as possible. […]
Whilst the camera had managed to capture the essentials, it was impossible for me to take a decent photograph of the scene. So I asked Belmondo and Jean Seberg to walk right down to the bottom of the Champs-Élysées, where the pavement was still deserted, to re-enact the scene, just for me. They very kindly agreed. My experience as a photo-novel director – a job that allowed me to earn a living between film shoots – enabled me to get them to direct their gazes and synchronise their walking in a way that was just right. Yet this very simple photograph went on to enjoy a completely unexpected global fame.”
Raymond C. in Raymond Cauchetier, *La Nouvelle Vague*, preface by Philippe Garner, Paris, Hugo Image, 2022, p. 17.
Provenance:
Kaoru and Raymond Cauchetier Collection
Bibliography:
DE BAECQUE, Antoine. La Nouvelle Vague: portrait d’une jeunesse. Paris: Flammarion, 1998 & 2009, pp. 86–87.
CARACALLA, Jean-Paul. *The Champs-Élysées*. Paris: Flammarion, 2002, pp. 90–91.
Exhibition(s):
Paris: Capital of the Arts, 1900–1968 [exhibition catalogue], edited by Sarah Wilson, Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum, May–September 2002, p. 419.
Paris: Capital of the Arts, 1900–1968 [exhibition catalogue], edited by Sarah Wilson, London, Royal Academy of Arts, January–April 2002, p. 419.
*Starlight: 100 Years of Film Stills* [exhibition catalogue], edited by Mette Marcus, Copenhagen, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, October 2006–January 2007, p. 25.
Flashback on Raymond Cauchetier [exhibition catalogue], Paris, Salon de la Photo, Porte de Versailles, November 2013, pp. 76–77.
Raymond Cauchetier, Nouvelle Vague [exhibition presented with the support of Louis Vuitton, City Guide], Arles, Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles, Abbaye de Montmajour, July–September 2021, ref. 03.
Raymond Cauchetier, Nouvelle Vague [exhibition, curated by Sam Stourdzé], Jimei (China), Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, November 2020–January 2021, p. 52.
The Pop Years, 1956–1968 [exhibition catalogue], Paris, Centre Pompidou, Gallery 1, 15 March–18 June 2001, ref. 60.51.
Further information:
© Raymond Cauchetier / rights: Kaoru Cauchetier
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Ode to Love | The Kaoru and Raymond Cauchetier Collection
Auction location
Auction time
10/12/2026 at 5:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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