Time  has  a sound. That of the bells from our childhood or the grandfather clock,  like  a memory of days gone by. That of mechanical watches, ticking at their own voluptuous cadence. That of a camera shutter that focuses on a given moment so as to keep it alive in our memories.

For  several years now, Baume & Mercier has been actively involved with the greatest  institutions,  the most important festivals and the most talented photographers. From PhotoEspana in Madrid, to the Magnum agency in New York or the Fotofest in Houston; from the Asian Civilization Museum in Singapore to  the  Fondation  Henri  Cartier Bresson in Milan; and from FotoGrafia in Rome  to  the Westlich Gallery in Vienna and the Young Gallery in Brussels:
Baume  &  Mercier  displays  a complete and multi-faceted commitment to the world of photography.

Baume  & Mercier does not wish to be a mere observer, but instead an active player  in a world that resembles it. That is why it has joined with Gérard Rancinan   and   Caroline   Gaudriault   in  imagining  a  journey  through contemporary photography punctuated by selected encounters around the world with the Living Masters of modern photography.

A renowned photographer accustomed to portraying eminent personalities (men of faith, men of power or contemporary artists) Gérald Rancinan has in this case  shot portraits of his “colleagues”. All the photographers involved in this  project  played their part to the full and did their utmost to ensure that  their  photographic  approach  was  echoed in this portrait by giving genuine individual “performances”.

Caroline  Gaudriault  talked  to each of them about their art and tells the story  of this journey through the universal nature of photography. Each of the photographers was chosen for their masterful work, as well as for their commitment  and  their ability to create their very own photographic world.
The  journalist thus explores the links between these various worlds, these various  personalities  and  the  various  questions  raised  regarding the process of photography.


Patrick  Demarchelier,  Peter  Lindbergh,  Rankin,  Elliott  Erwitt,  David Burnett,  Antonin  Kratochvil,  Ragnar Axelsson, Mary Ellen Mark, Sebastiao Salgado, James Nachtwey, Ron Galella, Martin Parr, Albert Watson, Pierre et Gilles,  Eikoh  Hosoe, Martin Parr, Marc Riboud, Araki, Reza, Mimmo Jodice, Oliviero  Toscani,  David  Lachapelle,  Malick Sidibé, Roman Opalka – photo journalists,   artists,  portrait  specialists,  fashion  photographers  or columnists  –  all  agreed  to be part of this project conceived by Baume & Mercier.


With  “The  Photographer”,  Baume  &  Mercier  testifies  to its heart-felt involvement   in  photography  and  in  doing  so  positions  itself  as  a contemporary watchmaker eager to capture present and future memories.

This  unique exhibition will debut in France in the mezzanine of the Palais de  Tokyo from November 11th to 23rd 2008 before traveling the world during 2009 and 2010.

The photographer

Photographs by Gérard RANCINAN
Texts by Caroline GAUDRIAULT

Through 200 photographs and fascinating testimonies, this rare publication is a key book in the inspired lifework of Gérard Rancinan, a kind of quest through a maze of images, words, ideas and reflections… More than just a set of portraits of great photographers, it is an authentic book of self-portraits by Gérard Rancinan, like a fraternal and initiatory journey in which words and pictures unite to tell the story – not of the work of each of these 23 photographers, but instead of the authors’ individual development through their own life path.

Within the context of this magnificent project, Baume & Mercier – which has already on several occasions demonstrated the attention it devotes to others through benefit sales or charity partnerships – will dedicate two photos from the exhibition – to be held on the Mezzanine of the Palais de Tokyo from November 11th to 23rd 2008 – to two associations that will receive the entire proceeds from the sale of these two works.

Source: Worldtempus