Paris Passion magazine
Encyclopedia
Paris Passion, also known as Passion, was an English-language city magazine in France
that existed from 1981 to 1991. Its main editorial focus was on life in Paris
for both residents and visitors. Launched on a shoestring budget as a 24-page black-and-white tabloid, Passion eventually evolved into a glossy 140-page magazine.
Passion was conceived as a forum for the written word and to showcase the visual side of Paris. Passion regularly published great photography and benefited from the pool of excellent illustrators in Paris. The magazine’s use of strong eye-catching visuals on its large format covers was an influential part of its identity.
in France
that existed until early 1991. Its main editorial
focus was on life in Paris
for both residents and visitors. Also known as Passion, it featured an eclectic mix of feature journalism
, interviews with leading figures in Paris, city consumer advice, coverage of French arts
, culture
, politics
, design
, architecture
, food
and fashion
and was also a regular showcase for great photography
. For many years, Passion also had a detachable events-listings section, published short fiction by Paris-based writers, a French-language section, and a separate fashion supplement called Accent.
Despite good distribution and a relatively high profile in Paris, Passion was more a critical success than a financial one. Its financial struggle undermined the magazine's full editorial potential. Passion began on a shoestring budget as a 24-page black-and-white tabloid and eventually evolved into a full-fledged glossy 140-page magazine. Over its nine-plus years, Passion published 78 issues.
At its peak, the circulation reached 50,000 copies, with almost a quarter of that distributed outside France. It was sold and displayed prominently in news kiosks and bookstores in Paris and even had street hawkers selling it in certain parts of the city. It was available in international newsstands in New York
, Los Angeles
, Chicago
, Boston
, Toronto
, Montreal
, London
, and Amsterdam
and had subscribers in many countries.
In addition to its practical information and extensive arts and entertainment
coverage, Passion became popular also for its often irreverent and humorous (but not mocking) take on the French
and the challenges and idiosyncrasies of Paris life.
It did not shy away from serious issues. It tackled everything from the political intrigues at Paris City Hall to urban planning
fiascoes to French anti-Semitism
to drug-related social problems in Paris to the plight of North African immigrants in France and a variety of environmental concerns.
Passion can be seen as part of the time-honored tradition of expatriate English-language publishing in Paris that dates back to the early 20th century. Over the years, there have been numerous, mostly literary, publications published in English in the French capital, most of them short-lived.
Passion was founded by expatriate Canadian journalist Robert Sarner. He moved to Paris in 1979 from Toronto
where he had begun his career in journalism a few years earlier. Before starting Passion, Sarner took part in the Paris-based 'Journalists In Europe' fellowship program. His partners in the magazine were Michael Budman and Don Green, both originally from Detroit and the co-founders of Roots Canada Ltd. (a successful apparel company and lifestyle brand). Sarner was the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, while Budman and Green were the Executive Publishers. Sarner had first met Budman and Green in Canada a few years earlier when he approached them for investment in a city magazine that he had hoped to launch in Toronto.
In 1998, the London-based city magazine Time Out purchased the majority of Paris Passion. Time Outs owner Tony Elliott became the co-publisher with Robert Sarner who also remained the Editor-in-Chief.
Under the new ownership, Passion adopted a more conventional physical format, expanded its staff and moved into new, better-equipped headquarters. Two and a half years later, following a difference of opinion over the direction of the magazine, Elliott squeezed out Sarner in mid-1990. Elliott then brought in staff from London, redesigned the magazine, and changed the editorial style from American to British. But the business faltered further and Time Out ended up closing the magazine in 1991.
In the 1990s, Time Out used the Paris Passion name in conjunction with some of the annual Paris guides it published during that period.
. One of its main objectives was to engage both the minds and the eyes of readers. To that end, the magazine drew on a wealth of freelance talent based in Paris that shared the editorial aims of its editors. Despite limited financial means, Passion featured well-established journalists, photographers and illustrators while at the same time also developing many younger writers who had rarely been published before.
, columns, reviews and short stories that in one way or another related to Paris.
The following are some of the writers who contributed to Passion (listed in alphabetical order): Kathy Acker
, John Baxter
, Chris Boicos, Philip Brooks, Charla Carter, Ramesh Chandran, Tony Crawley, Claire Downey, David Downie
, Fiona Dunlop, Jonathan Ferziger, Sarah Gaddis, Peter Green
, Brion Gysin
, Linda Healey, Susan Herman-Loomis, Mark Honigsbaun, Mark Hunter
, Doug Ireland
, Nick Kent
, Jack Kevorkian, Tanis Kmetyk, Dawn Kolokithas, Randy Koral, Corrine LaBalme, Bernard-Henri Lévy
, Barbara Lippert, J.B. Miller, Carol Mongo, Lisa Nesselson, Robert Noah, Stephen O'Shea, Barbara Oudiz, Bart Plantenga, Carol Pratl, Jean Rafferty, Paul Rambali, Allen Robertson, Louis-Bernard Robitaille, Mark Schapiro, Peter de Selding, Antoine Silber, Claude Solnik, Jean-Sebastien Stehli, John Strand, William Styron
, Stephanie Theobald, Alexandra Tuttle, Rebecca Voight, David Frazer Wray, Michael Zwerin.
, illustration
and art direction. Its visual presentation, most of which focused on Paris, was an important part of its appeal.
On a regular basis, Passion showcased the work of some of the world's leading photographers working in Paris. In the process, the magazine earned an enviable reputation for the quality of images featured in its pages.
The following are some of the photographers who worked with Passion and/or whose work was featured prominently in the magazine (listed in alphabetical order): Jim Allen, Anaud Bauman, Henri Cartier-Bresson
, Chalkie Davies, Francois Dischinger, Barry Dunne, Christophe Galatry, Jean-Paul Goude
, Frank Horvat, William Klein
, Xavier Lambours, Antoine LeGrand, Elizabeth Lennard, Erica Lennard, Jonathan Lennard, Berangere Lomont, Wily Maywald, Doug Metzler, Jacques Mitelman, Jean-Baptiste Mondino
, Helmut Newton
, Scott Osman, Andre Ostier, Ian Patrick, Alain Potignon, Ray Reynolds, Bettina Rheims
, David Rochline, David Seidner
, Jean-Loup Sieff, Alice Springs, Lawrence Sudre, Keichi Tahara, Patrick Trautwein, Peter Turnley
, Ellen von Unwerth
, Javier Vallhonrat, Claus Wickrath, Patrick Wilen, Michael Williams
, Rafael Winer.
The following are some of the illustrators who worked with Passion and/or whose work was featured prominently in the magazine (listed in alphabetical order): François Avril, Helene Cote, Milo Daax, Jean-Philippe Delhomme, Bil Donovan, Blair Drawson, David Dudu Geva, Diana Huff, Myles Hyman, Antonio Lopez
, Patricia Marx
, Tina Mercier, Philippe Petit-Roulet, Patricia Reznikav, Michael Roberts
, Hippolyte Romain, Laurie Rosenwald, Solweig Vonkleist.
Scott Minick, who went on to design several literary magazines of the 1980's Paris Literary Revival, including Paris Exiles, published by John Strand (a contributing writer to Paris Passion), and Randy Koral (who served as Editor in Chief of Passion). At the same time, Minick was responsible for the design of Sphinx, a woman's literary journal published by Paris Passion theatre critic Carol Pratl, and Frank by editor David Applefield.
During the life of Passion, its use of strong, eye-catching visuals on its large format covers was an influential part of its identity. As the selection here shows, Passion favored simple, clean, bold, colorful images to grab the attention of readers. It stemmed, in part, from the fact that as a magazine relying mainly on newsstands for its distribution, it had to stand out from other publications in order to establish and promote itself, especially in the absence of any marketing budget.
In Paris, in addition to its presence on newsstands and in kiosks, Passion also had a network of "street hawkers" who sold the magazine. They circulated in places where potential readers would congregate, from hip cafes and restaurants to major cultural events, fashion shows and tourist attractions where hawkers would hold up the latest issue for all to see, and hopefully buy. The cover played a critical role in determining the perception and sales of the magazine.
In the pursuit of effective images for its covers, Passion drew from the presence of many excellent photographers and illustrators in Paris (see text above). They liked seeing their work showcased on the covers of Passion, thanks to its large size, its relatively unobtrusive cover text and good visibility in Paris kiosks and in international bookstores and newsstands in major cities outside 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...
that existed from 1981 to 1991. Its main editorial focus was on life in Paris
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...
for both residents and visitors. Launched on a shoestring budget as a 24-page black-and-white tabloid, Passion eventually evolved into a glossy 140-page magazine.
Passion was conceived as a forum for the written word and to showcase the visual side of Paris. Passion regularly published great photography and benefited from the pool of excellent illustrators in Paris. The magazine’s use of strong eye-catching visuals on its large format covers was an influential part of its identity.
History
Launched in November 1981, Paris Passion was an English-language magazineMagazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
in 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...
that existed until early 1991. Its main editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
focus was on life in Paris
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...
for both residents and visitors. Also known as Passion, it featured an eclectic mix of feature journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, interviews with leading figures in Paris, city consumer advice, coverage of French arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
and was also a regular showcase for great photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. For many years, Passion also had a detachable events-listings section, published short fiction by Paris-based writers, a French-language section, and a separate fashion supplement called Accent.
Despite good distribution and a relatively high profile in Paris, Passion was more a critical success than a financial one. Its financial struggle undermined the magazine's full editorial potential. Passion began on a shoestring budget as a 24-page black-and-white tabloid and eventually evolved into a full-fledged glossy 140-page magazine. Over its nine-plus years, Passion published 78 issues.
At its peak, the circulation reached 50,000 copies, with almost a quarter of that distributed outside France. It was sold and displayed prominently in news kiosks and bookstores in Paris and even had street hawkers selling it in certain parts of the city. It was available in international newsstands in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and had subscribers in many countries.
In addition to its practical information and extensive arts and entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
coverage, Passion became popular also for its often irreverent and humorous (but not mocking) take on the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and the challenges and idiosyncrasies of Paris life.
It did not shy away from serious issues. It tackled everything from the political intrigues at Paris City Hall to urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
fiascoes to French anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
to drug-related social problems in Paris to the plight of North African immigrants in France and a variety of environmental concerns.
Passion can be seen as part of the time-honored tradition of expatriate English-language publishing in Paris that dates back to the early 20th century. Over the years, there have been numerous, mostly literary, publications published in English in the French capital, most of them short-lived.
Passion was founded by expatriate Canadian journalist Robert Sarner. He moved to Paris in 1979 from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
where he had begun his career in journalism a few years earlier. Before starting Passion, Sarner took part in the Paris-based 'Journalists In Europe' fellowship program. His partners in the magazine were Michael Budman and Don Green, both originally from Detroit and the co-founders of Roots Canada Ltd. (a successful apparel company and lifestyle brand). Sarner was the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, while Budman and Green were the Executive Publishers. Sarner had first met Budman and Green in Canada a few years earlier when he approached them for investment in a city magazine that he had hoped to launch in Toronto.
In 1998, the London-based city magazine Time Out purchased the majority of Paris Passion. Time Outs owner Tony Elliott became the co-publisher with Robert Sarner who also remained the Editor-in-Chief.
Under the new ownership, Passion adopted a more conventional physical format, expanded its staff and moved into new, better-equipped headquarters. Two and a half years later, following a difference of opinion over the direction of the magazine, Elliott squeezed out Sarner in mid-1990. Elliott then brought in staff from London, redesigned the magazine, and changed the editorial style from American to British. But the business faltered further and Time Out ended up closing the magazine in 1991.
In the 1990s, Time Out used the Paris Passion name in conjunction with some of the annual Paris guides it published during that period.
Editorial Content
Paris Passion was conceived as both a forum for the written word and a showcase of the visual side of the cityCity
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
. One of its main objectives was to engage both the minds and the eyes of readers. To that end, the magazine drew on a wealth of freelance talent based in Paris that shared the editorial aims of its editors. Despite limited financial means, Passion featured well-established journalists, photographers and illustrators while at the same time also developing many younger writers who had rarely been published before.
Writers
As a magazine based in, and focused on, Paris, Passion attracted a wide range of talented expatriate writers and journalists eager to have their work published in English in a creative magazine circulated both in France and abroad. Some were longtime Paris residents, others were more recent arrivals. Most of the writers came from English-speaking counties, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India; others were French, (especially during the period when each issue of Passion published several pages in French). Collectively, they wrote many articlesArticle (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
, columns, reviews and short stories that in one way or another related to Paris.
The following are some of the writers who contributed to Passion (listed in alphabetical order): Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
, John Baxter
John Baxter
John Baxter mey refer to:* John Baxter , Australian-born writer, journalist, and film-maker* John Baxter , British film-maker active from the 1930s to the late 1950s...
, Chris Boicos, Philip Brooks, Charla Carter, Ramesh Chandran, Tony Crawley, Claire Downey, David Downie
David Downie
David D. Downie is a multilingual Paris-based American nonfiction author, crime novelist and journalist who writes most often about culture, food and travel....
, Fiona Dunlop, Jonathan Ferziger, Sarah Gaddis, Peter Green
Peter Green
Peter Green may refer to:* Peter Green , Australian rules footballer* Peter Green , British historian & translator* Pete Green , ice hockey coach...
, Brion Gysin
Brion Gysin
Brion Gysin was a painter, writer, sound poet, and performance artist born in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.He is best known for his discovery of the cut-up technique, used by his friend, the novelist William S. Burroughs...
, Linda Healey, Susan Herman-Loomis, Mark Honigsbaun, Mark Hunter
Mark Hunter
Mark Hunter may refer to:* Mark Hunter , former Australian rules footballer with Footscray* Mark Hunter , retired NHL ice hockey player and London Knights GM...
, Doug Ireland
Doug Ireland
Doug Ireland is an American journalist and blogger who writes about politics, power, media, and also about gay issues. He is the U.S...
, Nick Kent
Nick Kent
Nick Kent is a British rock critic and musician.-Career:Along with writers including Paul Morley, Charles Shaar Murray and Danny Baker, Nick Kent is seen as one of the most important and influential UK music journalists of the 1970s. He wrote for the British music publication New Musical Express,...
, Jack Kevorkian, Tanis Kmetyk, Dawn Kolokithas, Randy Koral, Corrine LaBalme, Bernard-Henri Lévy
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Bernard-Henri Lévy is a French public intellectual, philosopher and journalist. Often referred to today, in France, simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the "Nouveaux Philosophes" movement in 1976.-Early life:...
, Barbara Lippert, J.B. Miller, Carol Mongo, Lisa Nesselson, Robert Noah, Stephen O'Shea, Barbara Oudiz, Bart Plantenga, Carol Pratl, Jean Rafferty, Paul Rambali, Allen Robertson, Louis-Bernard Robitaille, Mark Schapiro, Peter de Selding, Antoine Silber, Claude Solnik, Jean-Sebastien Stehli, John Strand, William Styron
William Styron
William Clark Styron, Jr. was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work.For much of his career, Styron was best known for his novels, which included...
, Stephanie Theobald, Alexandra Tuttle, Rebecca Voight, David Frazer Wray, Michael Zwerin.
The Visual Side
Paris Passion was a visually striking magazine, thanks both to its large format and the quality of its photographyPhotography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
and art direction. Its visual presentation, most of which focused on Paris, was an important part of its appeal.
Photography
Starting with its first issue, Paris Passion always showed an appreciation for good photography, devoting generous space to photo essays, portfolios and portraits of Parisians. Photography was an intrinsic part of the magazine and helped shaped its identity. It was a natural development given the large number of talented photographers and leading photo agencies and galleries in Paris.On a regular basis, Passion showcased the work of some of the world's leading photographers working in Paris. In the process, the magazine earned an enviable reputation for the quality of images featured in its pages.
The following are some of the photographers who worked with Passion and/or whose work was featured prominently in the magazine (listed in alphabetical order): Jim Allen, Anaud Bauman, Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
, Chalkie Davies, Francois Dischinger, Barry Dunne, Christophe Galatry, Jean-Paul Goude
Jean-Paul Goude
Jean-Paul Goude is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer and advertising film director. He created several well-known campaigns for brands such as Perrier, Citroën and Chanel....
, Frank Horvat, William Klein
William Klein
William Klein is a photographer and filmmaker noted to for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography...
, Xavier Lambours, Antoine LeGrand, Elizabeth Lennard, Erica Lennard, Jonathan Lennard, Berangere Lomont, Wily Maywald, Doug Metzler, Jacques Mitelman, Jean-Baptiste Mondino
Jean-Baptiste Mondino
Jean-Baptiste Mondino is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk, Neneh Cherry and Les Rita Mitsouko...
, Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton, born Helmut Neustädter was a German-Australian photographer. He was a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications."-Early life:Newton was born in Berlin, the son of Klara...
, Scott Osman, Andre Ostier, Ian Patrick, Alain Potignon, Ray Reynolds, Bettina Rheims
Bettina Rheims
Bettina Rheims is a French artist and photographer. She is the daughter of Maurice Rheims, of the French Academy. Her sister Nathalie is an actress, writer and film producer...
, David Rochline, David Seidner
David Seidner
David Seidner was an American photographer known for his portraits and fashion photography. He died of complications from AIDS on Sunday, June 6, 1999.-Career and Style:...
, Jean-Loup Sieff, Alice Springs, Lawrence Sudre, Keichi Tahara, Patrick Trautwein, Peter Turnley
Peter Turnley
Peter Turnley is a photojournalist known for documenting the human condition and current events. Over the past two decades, he has traveled to eighty-five countries and covered nearly every major news event of international significance. His photographs have been featured on the cover of Newsweek...
, Ellen von Unwerth
Ellen von Unwerth
Ellen von Unwerth is a photographer and director, specializing in erotic femininity. She worked as a fashion model for ten years herself before moving behind the camera, and now makes fashion, editorial, and advertising photographs.Ellen von Unwerth found fame when she first photographed Claudia...
, Javier Vallhonrat, Claus Wickrath, Patrick Wilen, Michael Williams
Michael Williams
Michael Leonard Williams was an English actor who played both classical and comedic roles, and was the husband of Dame Judi Dench.- Early life and career :Born in Liverpool, he attended St...
, Rafael Winer.
Illustration
As part of its design, Paris Passion also benefited from the enormous pool of great illustrators in Paris. It commissioned many French and expatriate illustrators to create images to enhance editorial content in the magazine.The following are some of the illustrators who worked with Passion and/or whose work was featured prominently in the magazine (listed in alphabetical order): François Avril, Helene Cote, Milo Daax, Jean-Philippe Delhomme, Bil Donovan, Blair Drawson, David Dudu Geva, Diana Huff, Myles Hyman, Antonio Lopez
Antonio Lopez (illustrator)
Antonio Lopez was a fashion illustrator whose work appeared in such publications as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Interview and The New York Times. Several books collecting his illustrations have been published...
, Patricia Marx
Patricia Marx
Patricia Marx is an American humorist and writer. She currently works as a staff writer for The New Yorker, and teaches at Princeton University....
, Tina Mercier, Philippe Petit-Roulet, Patricia Reznikav, Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts may refer to:*Michael Roberts , British poet, writer, critic and broadcaster*Michael Roberts , British historian...
, Hippolyte Romain, Laurie Rosenwald, Solweig Vonkleist.
Art Direction
Following are some of the art directors who worked with Passion and who helped guide the look of the publication:Scott Minick, who went on to design several literary magazines of the 1980's Paris Literary Revival, including Paris Exiles, published by John Strand (a contributing writer to Paris Passion), and Randy Koral (who served as Editor in Chief of Passion). At the same time, Minick was responsible for the design of Sphinx, a woman's literary journal published by Paris Passion theatre critic Carol Pratl, and Frank by editor David Applefield.
The Front Covers
Like with the rest of the magazine, Paris Passions front covers evolved considerably from the time of its first issue in 1981 until the last in 1991. The changes included going from black and white images to those in full color; from newsprint to glossy stock; from celebrity portraits to more conceptual illustrations; and different logos and varying approaches to the use of text.During the life of Passion, its use of strong, eye-catching visuals on its large format covers was an influential part of its identity. As the selection here shows, Passion favored simple, clean, bold, colorful images to grab the attention of readers. It stemmed, in part, from the fact that as a magazine relying mainly on newsstands for its distribution, it had to stand out from other publications in order to establish and promote itself, especially in the absence of any marketing budget.
In Paris, in addition to its presence on newsstands and in kiosks, Passion also had a network of "street hawkers" who sold the magazine. They circulated in places where potential readers would congregate, from hip cafes and restaurants to major cultural events, fashion shows and tourist attractions where hawkers would hold up the latest issue for all to see, and hopefully buy. The cover played a critical role in determining the perception and sales of the magazine.
In the pursuit of effective images for its covers, Passion drew from the presence of many excellent photographers and illustrators in Paris (see text above). They liked seeing their work showcased on the covers of Passion, thanks to its large size, its relatively unobtrusive cover text and good visibility in Paris kiosks and in international bookstores and newsstands in major cities outside France.