Persona

Description

His latest photographic endeavour Persona explores Nars's fascination with portrait photography by showcasing an original portfolio of 150 new portraits, shot by Nars himself, of creative luminaries who have inspired him such as celebrities, artists, designers, musicians, actors, and other cultural figures. The timeless, intimate portraits of these talented individuals, all visionaries in their respective fields, are shot in colour against a dramatic black background with simple lighting, accentuating each subject in a bold and revealing fashion to capture their true essence and personality. With part of the proceeds made to a global children's charitable organisation, this volume is a true collector's item for style, culture, and photography enthusiasts alike.

Francois Nars is creative director and president of NARS cosmetics, with over one hundred boutiques worldwide. His work is featured on the runways of designers like Versace, Valentino, Dolce + Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, and Karl Lagerfeld, and on the covers of prestigious magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Italian Vogue, W, ELLE, and Allure. He has collaborated with such legendary photographers as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, and Patrick Demarchelier. Born in France, Nars lives and works in New York City.

"The particular skill of legendary makeup artist Francois Nars lies in his ability to reveal the true personality of a subject's face, via both expert application and photography. 300 such examples are chronicled in a new oversized volume, Persona, which captures creative figures of all ages in colour images shot against a rich black background. Noted subjects cast in their best light include Tilda Swinton, Naomi Campbell, Bella Hadid, and Sharon Stone." -AIR MAGAZINE "Persona is the ultimate and quintessential definition of the genre classified as coffee table books. Its sheer weight of over 20 pounds and its monumental size can only be categorized as an astounding accomplishment and achievement by both author and photographer, Francois Nars, and by Rizzoli. . . There really are not enough superlatives to properly describe this assemblage of portraiture given the volume's physicality and presentation. It is easy to feel gobsmacked by its content, presentation, and the artist who created it." -NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS