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Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

French, b. 1954

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.

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Artist: Gérard Uféras
Mezcal - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Mezcal - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Mezcal - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Radiant, expansive, and imbued with a sense of quiet narrative, this vivid photograph by Gérard Uféras, captured in 1993, transports the viewer into the heart of Mexico’s agave lands...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dior Haute Couture, 30 Avenue Montaigne - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Dior Haute Couture, 30 Avenue Montaigne - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Dior Haute Couture, 30 Avenue Montaigne - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

"Dior Haute Couture, 30 Avenue Montaigne" by Gérard Uféras is a black-and-white photograph that focuses on detail, texture, and the material presence of haute couture garments. The c...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Worth Haute Couture printemps été 2003 - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Worth Haute Couture printemps été 2003 - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Worth Haute Couture printemps été 2003 - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

“Worth Haute Couture printemps été 2003” by Gérard Uféras is a compelling exploration of form, illusion, and the sculptural power of couture. Cropped with deliberate precision, the p...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Elisa Jimenez, Ready to Wear 2000, NY - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Elisa Jimenez, Ready to Wear 2000, NY - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Elisa Jimenez, Ready to Wear 2000, NY - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

"Elisa Jimenez, Ready to Wear, New York, 2000" by Gérard Uféras is a black-and-white photograph that captures a staged moment within a bar interior, blending fashion photography with...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Balmain Couture - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Balmain Couture - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Balmain Couture - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

A subtle gesture becomes the entire narrative in this refined photograph by Gérard Uféras. Focused on the delicate positioning of hands framed by intricately ruffled cuffs, the image...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Piano Legs, Scala - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Piano Legs, Scala - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Piano Legs, Scala - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Beneath the imposing structure of a grand piano, a quiet moment of repose unfolds - captured with striking precision by Gérard Uféras in “Piano Legs, Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

La belle au bois dormant 12/04 - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
La belle au bois dormant 12/04 - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

La belle au bois dormant 12/04 - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Delicate, elegant, and yet bursting with life and colour, this striking photograph by Gérard Uféras offers an intimate and rare glimpse behind the curtain of the Opéra National de Pa...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

La Scala, Behind The Scenes - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

La Scala, Behind The Scenes - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Gérard Uféras is a renowned French photographer celebrated for his emotive and intimate documentary style, particularly in the world of performing arts. His exhibition "Lo sguardo na...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Pink Feet, Christian Lacroix Haute Couture -Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Pink Feet, Christian Lacroix Haute Couture -Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Pink Feet, Christian Lacroix Haute Couture -Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

"Pink Feet, Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Show, Paris, Spring/Summer 2007" by Gérard Uféras is a color photograph that focuses on detail, rhythm, and repetition within the context ...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

L´ange du Saint Francois, Salzburger Festspiele - Limited Edition Fine Art
L´ange du Saint Francois, Salzburger Festspiele - Limited Edition Fine Art

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...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Batman and Policeman - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Batman and Policeman - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

This iconic artwork by Gérard Uféras is a vibrant and unexpected tableau where reality and fiction collide under the Mediterranean sun. Captured in crisp black and white, the photogr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Une robe d'Arman - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Une robe d'Arman - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Thierry Mugler, Haute Couture - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Thierry Mugler, Haute Couture - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

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,...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Bruxelles - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Bruxelles - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Bruxelles - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

This artwork by Gérard Uféras draws us into the charged stillness just before the music unfolds. Seen from behind, a double bassist stands at the edge of the orchestra pit, his silho...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Salzburger Festspiele, Autriche 1996 II - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Salzburger Festspiele, Autriche 1996 II - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Salzburger Festspiele, Autriche 1996 II - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

“Salzburger Festspiele, Autriche, 1996” by Gérard Uféras captures a fleeting, almost dreamlike moment suspended between performance and reality. A ballerina, seen from behind, descen...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Monsieur Laforge, maître de choeurs - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Monsieur Laforge, maître de choeurs - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Monsieur Laforge, maître de choeurs - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

A fleeting gesture, suspended between instruction and emotion, defines this remarkable photograph by Gérard Uféras, captured in 1990 at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Rather than docum...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Michel Sénéchal, Grand Théâtre de Genève - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Michel Sénéchal, Grand Théâtre de Genève - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Michel Sénéchal, Grand Théâtre de Genève - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Expressive, theatrical, and rich with narrative detail, this striking black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras, captured in 1990, offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the backs...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Komische Opera Berlin I - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Komische Opera Berlin I - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Komische Opera Berlin I - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Graphic, witty, and subtly theatrical, this striking black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras was captured backstage at the Komische Oper Berlin in 1993 during a production of “Th...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gran Teatre del Fenice, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Gran Teatre del Fenice, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Gran Teatre del Fenice, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Atmospheric and richly cinematic, this captivating black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras offers a rare perspective inside the legendary Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice during a...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gran Teatre del Fenice III, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Gran Teatre del Fenice III, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Gran Teatre del Fenice III, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Minimalist, evocative, and rich in narrative tension, this refined black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras captures a poetic still life backstage at the Gran Teatro La Fenice in ...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gran Teatre del Fenice I, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Gran Teatre del Fenice I, Venise - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gran Teatre del Liceu I, Barcelone - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Gran Teatre del Liceu I, Barcelone - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dior Haute Couture IV - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Dior Haute Couture IV - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

“Dior Haute Couture IV” by Gérard Uféras is a refined black-and-white photograph that centers on detail, texture, and the material presence of haute couture. Created at Dior’s histor...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dior Haute Couture II - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Dior Haute Couture II - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Renowned French photographer Gérard Uféras is celebrated for his ability to capture the quiet, in-between moments that often go unnoticed. In this refined composition, he turns his l...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dior Haute Cotoure III - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Dior Haute Cotoure III - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

This striking black-and-white photograph by Gérard Uféras is part of his celebrated Dior Haute Couture series from the 2000s, a body of work that offers an intimate perspective on th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dancers at Bolshoi, Theatre Moscow - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography
Dancers at Bolshoi, Theatre Moscow - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Dancers at Bolshoi, Theatre Moscow - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Renowned French photographer Gérard Uféras is celebrated for his ability to capture the quiet, in-between moments that often go unnoticed. In this refined composition, he turns his l...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

La Scala, Ballarina leaving the stage - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

La Scala, Ballarina leaving the stage - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Gérard Uféras is a renowned French photographer celebrated for his emotive and intimate documentary style, particularly in the world of performing arts. His exhibition "Lo sguardo na...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

A Day in the Museum XVI, Musée de Louvre - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

A Day in the Museum XVI, Musée de Louvre - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

A day in the museum is about more than encountering some of the most famous and fascinating works of art - it is about the quiet, deeply personal act of looking. In this compelling p...

Category

2010s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

L'étoffe des rêves I - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

L'étoffe des rêves I - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

Uféras takes us backstage to catch a glimpse of how the magic of high fashion is made. We get to see models changing, getting final touches on their dresses as well as the titillatin...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

A Day in the Museum XXXIII, Grand Palais - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Bolshoi Corps de Ballet - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Adam Jones Prêt à Porter - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

Adam Jones Prêt à Porter - Limited Edition Fine Art Photography

By Gérard Uféras

Located in Vienna, AT

"Adam Jones Prêt-à-Porter" by Gérard Uféras is a black-and-white photograph that captures a moment within a fashion show setting, focusing on the relationship between garment, body, ...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan Backstage, Fashion Fine Art Photography
Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan Backstage, Fashion Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

L´ange du Saint Francois, Salzburger Festspiele, Fine Art Photography
L´ange du Saint Francois, Salzburger Festspiele, Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan Backstage, Fashion Fine Art Photography
Gianfranco Ferré Prêt-à-Porter, Milan Backstage, Fashion Fine Art Photography

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...

Category

1990s Contemporary Gérard Uféras Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Gérard Uféras figurative photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Gérard Uféras figurative photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Gérard Uféras in archival pigment print, pigment print, silver gelatin print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Gérard Uféras figurative photography, so small editions measuring 32 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Anouk Krantz, Jean-Luc Fievet, and Patrick Chelli.