Bio
The French-born photographer became familiar with the world of fashion early on: "I accompanied my mother to the fashion shows of Yves St Laurent and Coco Chanel and was fascinated by the beauty and drama of it all. I knew I wanted to interpret that excitement, and once I discovered photography my path was found“.
By his early 20's Benoit was already an established fashion photographer. As his career brought him to New York and California, in 1977 he decided to make Los Angeles his permanent home and became a U.S. citizen. His strong signature style and his mastery of the large format camera quickly gained international recognition, with his fashion and advertising work published in American & French Vogue, Bazaar, W, Essence and others.
In 2005 Benoit had decided to leave the commercial part of his photography to devote himself to his personal work, allowing him to leave the hectic life of Los Angeles and NY and find an inspiring environment near the California desert. His still lifes and landscapes are composed from a provocative point of view and with an unusual awareness that would characterize his unique take on reality. His latest collection Open to Interpretation illustrate this concept.
Benoit’s work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions and group shows in Museums and was included in NY's MoMA exhibit "Is Fashion Modern".
Bio of Benoit Malphettes