The vernissage will be held at the Hôtel du Cap (Antibes) on 13th May 2016, coinciding with the annual Cannes Film Festival.
This second edition, curated by photographic expert, John Ingledew, reveals a selection of photographs taken by some of the world’s most accomplished ‘on-set’ photographers providing an opportunity to celebrate the art of photography and to travel back in to the golden era of filmmaking with iconic directors and actors. Each photo characterises the universe of this period with images ranging from: Michelangelo Antonioni on the set of Zabriskie Point in 1968, Alfred Hitchcock directing the film Notorious in 1946 and Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits. Many of the images are extremely rare and some have never been exhibited before.
In spirit of the exhibition, Jaeger-LeCoultre will also display a Compass camera created in 1938. This exceptional vintage camera will pay tribute to the legacy of the Manufacture with a further series of classic photos captured through its camera lens in different parts of the world, showcasing those locations, which have since become the backdrop to the iconic movies being exhibited.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s involvement in photography dates back to 1938, when Le Coultre & Cie manufactured the Compass: a full-featured camera small enough to fit in a cigarette packet based on a demanding design by Englishman Noel Pemberton-Billing, a reality that only a watchmaker could fulfil. Only 4000 of them were made. This exceptional camera featured an exposure meter, range finder, EV indicator, angle viewfinder, telescopic lens shade, inbuilt filters, and a device for panoramic and stereoscopic views. The 1938 advertisement declared Compass the embodiment of scientific system in miniature cameras. "Built like a watch - as simple to use."
Click on the image at the top of the article to see a slideshow.
