Fernand Fonssagrives
Encyclopedia
Fernand Fonssagrives born near Paris
, France
he was a photograph
er known for his 'beauty photography' in the early 1940s, and as the first husband of the model Lisa Fonssagrives
. He died in 2003 at Little Rock, Arkansas
.
Fonssagrives was married in 1935 to his first wife Lisa, whom he met at a dance school in Paris, and both became dance
rs. He said that he gave up dancing after he was injured in a diving accident. As a gift for recuperation Lisa gave Fernand a Rolleiflex
camera. In the process of learning He became an important photographer and Lisa became an important model. He turned to photography and was a fashion photographer in the 1940s and 1950s when he took pictures for Town and Country
and Harper's Bazaar
magazines. They divorced in 1950.
Fonssagrives's second marriage—to Diane Capron, a professional figure skater and teacher—also ended in divorce. The native Frenchman lived the last 30 years of his life in Little Rock, Arkansas
. His later pictures featured female nudes with patterns of light on their skin. He was a true artist. He was a professional dancer, One of the top three photographers in NYC and at one point the highest paid photographer in New York. He was an award winning sculptor working in Bronze, an avid painter who wrote prolifically. His photographic works are represented in Europe by Michael Hoppen Photography (London) and in the United States by Bonni Benrubi (New York) An image he created of his first wife Lisa is on the cover of the Spring Christie's
photographic auction catalog (2008).
Fonssagrives was survived by a daughter from his first marriage, Mia Fonssagrives-Solow, who is a sculptor and jewelry designer
, and a son from his second marriage, Marc Fonssagrives.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
he was a photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
er known for his 'beauty photography' in the early 1940s, and as the first husband of the model Lisa Fonssagrives
Lisa Fonssagrives
Lisa Fonssagrives , born Lisa Birgitta Bernstone was a Swedish fashion model widely credited as the first supermodel.-Biography:...
. He died in 2003 at Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Fonssagrives was married in 1935 to his first wife Lisa, whom he met at a dance school in Paris, and both became dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
rs. He said that he gave up dancing after he was injured in a diving accident. As a gift for recuperation Lisa gave Fernand a Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werk. The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of medium format twin lens reflex cameras...
camera. In the process of learning He became an important photographer and Lisa became an important model. He turned to photography and was a fashion photographer in the 1940s and 1950s when he took pictures for Town and Country
Town & Country (magazine)
Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States.-Early history:...
and Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
magazines. They divorced in 1950.
Fonssagrives's second marriage—to Diane Capron, a professional figure skater and teacher—also ended in divorce. The native Frenchman lived the last 30 years of his life in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. His later pictures featured female nudes with patterns of light on their skin. He was a true artist. He was a professional dancer, One of the top three photographers in NYC and at one point the highest paid photographer in New York. He was an award winning sculptor working in Bronze, an avid painter who wrote prolifically. His photographic works are represented in Europe by Michael Hoppen Photography (London) and in the United States by Bonni Benrubi (New York) An image he created of his first wife Lisa is on the cover of the Spring Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
photographic auction catalog (2008).
Fonssagrives was survived by a daughter from his first marriage, Mia Fonssagrives-Solow, who is a sculptor and jewelry designer
Jewelry designer
A jewellery designer or jewelry designer is a person who renders original jewellery creations and usually constructs them as well...
, and a son from his second marriage, Marc Fonssagrives.