Through his camera lens, photographer Gérard Uféras offers a rarified backstage pass to the world’s top operas, ballets and fashion shows. Described as a storyteller and magician, Uféras shoots contemporary, figurative photographs that evoke sensuality, mystery, elegance and grace, with a rich sense of humanism.
Born in Paris, in 1954, Uféras was introduced to photography at the tender age of eight, when he began using his father’s cameras. At 11 years old, he was a regular visitor to Paris’s museums, soaking in all aspects of the arts, culture and history.
Although Uféras’s passion for photography began at an early age, it wasn’t until he was 28 — when he was working in a retail shop selling jeans — that he decided to pursue it as a professional career. “I simply didn’t know what I was doing with my life,” he has said. “For a few years at that point, I had a job that didn’t bring me any joy. . . . I realized that if I don’t do something to change my life, I will die working in that shop, so it was really a ‘matter of life’ decision.”
Despite being largely self-taught, Uféras’s natural photographic talent soon caught the eyes of French newspaper editors. He began his career as a photojournalist in 1984, working for the daily Libération, and in 1986, he became a founding member of the VU photo agency. Then, in 1988, Uféras’s watershed moment came when he was invited backstage to photograph at The Palais Garnier. Since then, he has captured stunning portraits and still-lifes at opera houses and ballet performances across Europe.
Similarly, Uféras has been given carte-blanche access to major fashion houses such as Givenchy and Dior, resulting in beautifully shot, candid photographs of unposed models.
Throughout his career, Uféras’s black-and-white and color photographs have been featured in numerous international publications, including Le Monde, the New York Times, Beaux Arts magazine, Paris Match and L’Express. His works are in the collections in several major museums, such as The National Gallery in London, the Musée de l’Elysée (Photo Elysée) in Lausanne, the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris.
On 1stDibs, find a range of Gérard Uféras photography.
$3,060
Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan Backstage, Fashion Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
“Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan” by Gérard Uféras is a striking black-and-white backstage photograph that captures the intimate tension and sculptural elegance of a haute cout...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Salzburger Festspiele #1, Salzburg, Austria
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Gerard Uferas' photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including "Liberation", "Time Magazine", "The New York Times", "Le Monde", and "Marie ...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
L´ange du Saint Francois, Salzburger Festspiele, Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
L´ange du Saint Francois d´assise de Messiaen, Salzburger Festspiele, Autrice, 1992 by Gérad Uféras. All prints are limited edition. Available in multiple sizes. High-end framing on request. All prints are done and signed by the artist. Daring women, teint de porcelaine, and delicate tracings in silver; the French star photographer Gérard Uféras creates masterpieces radiant with a certain je ne sais quoi. Moving the noise of everyday life into the background for a moment, his works are aesthetic oases for the senses. Curving down an exposed back, delineating delicate lines, or an ephemeral smile: Uféras is the connoisseur of fashion and ballet photography. His works are an homage to female elegance, playfulness, and jest. Gerard Uferas...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Christian Dior Prêt à Porter automne/hiver 2000/2001 - Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Closeup of a Model in a Dior Skirt, Fur Jacket and Boots and Rings spelling DIOR, photographed by Gérard Uféras at the Autumn/Winter Show in Paris, 2000-2001. All prints are limited ...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan Backstage, Fashion Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
“Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan” by Gérard Uféras is a striking black-and-white backstage photograph that captures the intimate tension and sculptural elegance of a haute cout...
Silver Gelatin
Faux Couple
By Silvia Lareo-Vazquez
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase...
Silver Gelatin
$4,725
H 30 in W 20 in
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Limited Edition of 25) - Celebrity Photography
Located in New York, NY
This 1991 fine art print features Catherine Zeta-Jones when she was a TV actress in Britain and aspiring to be a Hollywood Star. Her success in The Darling Buds of May (English comed...
Silver Gelatin
$4,050
H 40 in W 30 in
Jane March (Limited Edition of 25) - 30"x40" Celebrity Photography
Located in New York, NY
This fine art print features actress and model Jane March, posed topless on the rooftop of the Hotel Le Bristol in Paris in 1992. This risqué iconic b...
Silver Gelatin
$1,620Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 24 in
Daniel Craig Contact Sheet (Limited Edition of 25) - Celebrity Photography
Located in New York, NY
This is a 2002 contact sheet (a positive print of all the negative images from a roll of 35mm film or medium format film) of youthful-looking Daniel Craig...
Silver Gelatin
$5,767
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in
Avenue Simon Bolivar - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography
By Willy Ronis
Located in Paris, FR
One of the famous members of the Humanist photography in France. Signed lower right by the artist. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back.
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$2,400
H 20 in W 15 in
"The Glimmer Twins - Mick Jagger" Photography 20x15 in by Charlie Auringer
Located in Culver City, CA
"The Glimmer Twins - Mick Jagger" Photography 20x15 in by Charlie Auringer Year: 1978 Edition of 50 Medium: Silver gelatin limited edition photographic print on paper Signed and num...
Silver Gelatin
$5,885
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in
Deena's back - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography
By Willy Ronis
Located in Paris, FR
One of the most famous members of the Humanist photography in France. Signed lower right by the artist. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back.
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Two Swimmers, 1977
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The history of photography has always included the genre of the nude. In the last decade, there is a new perspective in considering the female form. Women photographers are able to capture the nude, not from a position of who holds the power in the relationship, to more of an examination of form without the whisper of sexuality. I have recently revisited my exploration of nudes, this time only from behind the camera. My revelation is that I perceive the subject as a whole, complex human being, giving me the gift of seeing them profoundly. The performance of photographer and subject is on equal footing as we both work within an area of trust and curiosity. What are we really revealing to the camera as one stands before it? Ultimately the experience connects us not only in our shared experience, but as two women, both bringing a level of acceptance and courage to our efforts. It is exhilarating to change the masculine history of photography into a feminine one. Lisa McCord is a fine art and documentary photographer from the Arkansas Delta...
Silver Gelatin
Sierra's Hotel
By Silvia Lareo-Vazquez
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase...
Silver Gelatin
$3,240Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 30 in
Daniel Craig (Limited Edition of 25), 30x30 In - Celebrity Photography
Located in New York, NY
Daniel Craig, photographed in 2002 by British celebrity and fashion photographer, John Stoddart, prior to Craigs casting as 007, James Bond. Craig was th...
Silver Gelatin
Varanasi, India
By Pentti Sammallahti
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Pentti Sammallahti is a benchmark figure in contemporary Finnish photography. His works depict nature eroded and broken down by civilization, but he does not put man and the environm...
Silver Gelatin
$5,400
H 30 in W 40 in
Daniel Craig Contact Sheet (Limited Edition of 25) - 30x40 In Celebrity Print
Located in New York, NY
This is a 2002 contact sheet (a positive print of all the negative images from a roll of 35mm film or medium format film) of youthful-looking Daniel Craig...
Silver Gelatin
Christian Dior, Paris
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Gerard Uferas' photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including "Liberation", "Time Magazine", "The New York Times", "Le Monde", and "Marie Claire" Italia. His career in...
Silver Gelatin