About these photographers

By Alex Novak

Jean-Marie Auradon was born in the south of France in Languedoc in 1887.

He moved to Paris and became well known for his large-scale nudes, which he posed like classic sculpture.

In 1930 and 1936 he exhibited his work at the important Salon International D'Art Photographique de Paris, which were hosted by the Societe Francaise De Photographie. The judges for these salons were respectively Andre Steiner and Laure Albin-Guillot. He apparently became acquainted with Albin-Guillot, because some of his prints are very similar to hers--large pictorial nudes, flower studies, landscapes and still lifes, some even in the Fresson process (although he apparently also worked with Gavalux silver prints). Like Albin-Guillot, Auradon was a member of the Societe Francaise De Photographie.

Besides exhibiting in France, Auradon contributed to several international salons, including the First International Tokyo Salon of Pictorial Photography at the Tokyo Imperial Art Gallery in 1935.

Auradon wrote several books on photography. His nude work was published in "Nus", an influential photography publication that contained the work of many of the top photographers of the early 1950s.

In 1946 he became a founding member of the important and influential Groupe des XV and exhibited at its salons. In 1951, Otto Steinert chose some of his work for the seminal exhibition "Subjektive Fotografie".

He is in the George Eastman House and Auer & Auer databases. An article on his work appeared in Camera (1974). His work is included in the collection of the Bibliotheque National in Paris.

Jean-Marie Auradon died in 1958.

Considerably less is known about the other Auradon brother Pierre, who was active in the 1930s salons. He was known to exhibit extensively at the prestigious Salon International D'Art Photographique de Paris, which was produced by the Societe Francaise de Photographie.

Like his brother, Pierre's work included flower studies, landscapes, genre studies, portraits and nudes. Some of his work has a modernist flair with shots taken from high angles. His nude work was also published in "Nus".

He is in the George Eastman House and Auer & Auer databases.

Pierre Auradon's work is held in the collections of the Societe Francaise De Photographie and the French Bibliotheque Nationale.