Eiffel Tower from the Window, 2009
Silver Gelatin Print
16 x 20 in
Ed 15 of 22
Arc de Triomphe, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
16 x 20 in.
Ed of 22
Paris Botzaris, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print,
16 x 20 in.
Ed of 22
Institut Francais, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
16 x 20 in.
Ed of 22
Le Crillon, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
20 x 23 in.
Ed of 22
Le Pont Neuf, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
20 x 22 in.
Ed of 22
Pyramide du Louvre, 2007
Gelatin silver Print
19 x 19 in.
Ed of 22
Le Sacre Coeur,
Gelatin Silver Print
20 x 23 in.
Ed of 22
Le Lapin Agile, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
20 x 23 in.
Ed of 22
Place de l'Opera, 2007
Gelatin SIlver Print
20 x 23 in.
Ed of 22
Orsay, 2008
Gelatin Silver Print
22 x 23 in.
Ed of 22
Apollo, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
20 x 16 in.
Ed. of 25
Saint Louis 2, 2005
Gelatin Silver Print
19 x 27.5 in.
Ed. of 25
Chrysler Tower, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
21 x 16 in.
Ed. of 25
Notre Dame Nuit, 2005
Gelatin Silver Print
21 x 28 in.
Ed. of 22
MetLife, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
21 x 15.25 in.
Ed. of 25
IAC Building, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
16 x 20 in.
Ed. of 25
Pont des Arts Louvre, 2005
Gelatin Silver Print
39 x 31 in. | 59 x 43 in.
Ed. of 22 | Ed. of 8
Tour Eiffel, 2005
Gelatin Silver Print
21 x 28 in.
Ed. of 22
Porto Rico, 2007
Gelatin Silver Print
21 x 15.5 in.
Ed. of 25
Concorde Crillon, 2005
Gelatin Silver Print
21 x 28 in.
Ed. of 25
French Institut 1, 2005
Gelatin Silver Print
14 x 21 in.
Ed. of 22
Despite a promising scientific career, Jean-Michel Berts chose a different path—to become a photographer. With his first Rolleiflex, he became sensitive to the effects of light. Since the eighties he has worked as a still life photographer for several well-known cosmetics and perfume brands. While involved in this field, he pursued a body of work with a more personal focus: to portray the essence of cities, reminding one of the grandeur of civilizations. As Berts explains, "Architectural construction is the cultural reflection of a civilization." The abstraction of characters makes it possible to move human construction forward and thus reanimate its timelessness. From Paris to New York, and Venice to Tokyo, these sublimated cities take on a poetic, ethereal and dreamlike value through his eyes.
The richness of Jean-Michel Berts photographs also comes from his technique. Using the Zone System of Ansel Adams, and with an exposure time between nine seconds and ten minutes, this method of overexposing negatives and under-developing them allows a stronger density, enhancing the contrast in black and white.
SELECT EXHIBITIONS
2012 BLIN plus BLIN, Montfort l’Amaury, France
Envie d’Art, Paris, France
2011 City Portrait, Envie d’Art, London, UK
City Portrait, Young Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
Portrait de Villes Boutiques, Jaquet Droz, Paris, France
New New York, Gallery Samagra, Paris, France
2010 Gallery 21, Tokyo, Japan
2008 Light of Cities, Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, New York, NY
Outdoor Exhibition, Paris-Bercy, France
2007 Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris, France
2006 Embassy of France, Berlin, Germany
Moscow, Exposition de l’Art et de l’Artisanat Français
Embassy of France, Beirut, Lebanon
2005 Camerawork, Hamburg, Germany
