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.
$1,748
Un Fantôme à L'Opéra, Arena di Verona, Italie V - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This dramatic black and white photograph by Gérard Uféras reveals performers resting backstage at the Arena di Verona. Dressed in ornate costumes, one figure reclines in shadow while...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Un Fantôme à L'Opéra, Arena di Verona, Italie IV - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
In this atmospheric photograph, Gérard Uféras captures the Arena di Verona under rain, where umbrellas, wet seats, and attentive spectators create a richly textured visual field. A m...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Un Fantôme à L'Opéra, Arena di Verona, Italie III - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This black and white photograph by Gérard Uféras captures a seated couple in the foreground of the Arena di Verona, surrounded by a vast and softly blurred audience. Their close post...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Un Fantôme à L'Opéra, Arena di Verona, Italie II - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
In this touching image from the Arena di Verona, Gérard Uféras photographs a couple in rain ponchos, one seated and carefully adjusting the other’s collar. The vast arena and weather...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Un Fantôme à L'Opéra, Arena di Verona, Italie I - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This dynamic black and white photograph by Gérard Uféras captures the audience at the Arena di Verona, turning the spectators themselves into a theatrical spectacle. Women peer throu...
Silver Gelatin
Abraham Pelham Haute Cuture 1999 - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
In this refined black and white photograph, Gérard Uféras captures the intimate choreography of haute couture preparation. A model stands calmly at the center of the frame while hand...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Marc Le Bihan Prêt-à-Porter, Spring/Summer 1999 - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This striking black and white portrait by Gérard Uféras captures a model backstage at Marc Le Bihan prêt-à-porter, spring-summer 1999 in Paris. Her face is partially veiled by sculpt...
Silver Gelatin
Balmain Haute Couture, Fall/Winter 1999/2000 - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This intimate black and white photograph by Gérard Uféras focuses on the delicate details of Pierre Balmain Haute Couture, autumn/winter 1999/2000. The frame draws close to embroider...
Silver Gelatin
Valentino Haute Couture - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
In this elegant black and white photograph, Gérard Uféras captures the refined world of Valentino Haute Couture through a sequence of poised silhouettes. Models in sleek dark dresses...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Betsey Johnson prêt-à-porter, Fall-Winter 00/01 - Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This electrifying black and white photograph by Gérard Uféras captures the expressive energy of Betsey Johnson’s prêt-à-porter autumn-winter 2000–2001 season. Two models smoke backst...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled - Gérard Uféras, Limited Edition Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This striking black and white image by Gérard Uféras captures two elegantly dressed women standing before a luminous window, their matching silhouettes framed by heavy drapery and cl...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Théâtre royal de la Monnaie, Bruxelles 1991, Limited Edition Fine Art Photograph
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Gérard Uféras’ “Théâtre royal de la Monnaie, Bruxelles, Belgique, 1991, Un Fantôme à L’Opéra” is a poetic work of limited edition fine art photography that captures the quiet precisi...
Silver Gelatin
$1,748
Lily Cole backstage at Christian Lacroix Fall 2007, Limited Edition Fine Art
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Gérard Uféras’ “Lily Cole Backstage at Christian Lacroix Fall 2007 Haute Couture” is an extraordinary work of limited edition fine art photography that captures the dreamlike theatri...
Silver Gelatin
Une robe d'Arman - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
“Une robe d’Arman pour L’Heure espagnole de Ravel" is a artwork shot in the Opéra Comique in Paris, France, 1990 by Gérard Uféras. It is a striking meditation on touch, presence, an...
Archival Pigment
Thierry Mugler, Haute Couture - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This photograph by Gérard Uféras is a study in precision, tension, and sculptural beauty. Cropped tightly to the model’s torso and hands, the composition strips away all distraction,...
Archival Pigment
Gran Teatre del Fenice I, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Quiet, introspective, and profoundly atmospheric, this evocative black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras captures a rare and intimate backstage moment at the Gran Teatro La Fenic...
Archival Pigment
Gran Teatre del Liceu I, Barcelone - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Dynamic, expressive, and rich in atmosphere, this compelling black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras captures a vivid backstage moment at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona i...
Archival Pigment
$1,748
A Day in the Museum XXXIII, Grand Palais - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
A day in the museum is about more than some of the most famous and fascinating pieces of art. In this series French photographer Gérard Uféras examines the practice of going to the m...
Archival Pigment
Bolshoi Corps de Ballet - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
Delicate, elegant, and yet bursting of life and colour. Gérard Uféras offers an intimate and unique insight into the world of ballet. The ruffling of dresses backstage, a perfect pos...
Archival Pigment
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...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
L'ange du Saint Francois, Salzburger Festspiele - Limited Edition Fine Art
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras, created during the Salzburger Festspiele in Salzburg, Austria, captures a quiet backstage moment shaped by atmosphere, structure, an...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Salzburger Festspiele #1 - Austria - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
By Gérard Uféras
Located in Vienna, AT
This photograph by Gérard Uféras, created in 1996 in Salzburg, Austria, captures a moment defined by atmosphere, composition, and a strong sense of place. Known for his refined appro...
Archival Pigment
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