Between 1888 and 1927 Eugène Atget meticulously photographed Paris, capturing in thousands of photographs the city’s parks, streets, buildings, and diverse inhabitants. His images preserved the
vanishing architecture of the ancien régime as Paris grew into a modern capital, and established Atget as one of the twentieth century’s greatest photographers.
Christopher Rauschenberg spent a year in the late 1990s rephotographing many of Atget’s locations. By meticulously replicating the emotional and aesthetic qualities of Atget’s images,
Rauschenberg vividly captures the changes the city has undergone and its enduring beauty. His work is both an homage to his predecessor and an artistic study of Paris in its own right. Each
site is indicated on a map of the city, inviting readers to follow in the steps of Atget and Rauschenberg themselves. If a trip to the City of Lights is not imminent, this luscious portrait of
Paris then and now is the next best thing.
Essays by Clark Worswick and Alison Nordström give insight into Atget’s life and Rauschenberg’s work. The book concludes with an epilogue by Rosamond Bernier and a portfolio of other images of
Paris by Rauschenberg.
