Denis Brihat was born in Paris in September 1928. In 1958, he settled in Bonnieux, in the Luberon region (South of France), where he built his home, started a family, and created a garden that served as both inspiration and subject for his photography. It was there, in that very place, that he passed away on December 3, 2024.
My first encounter with him dates back to my photography studies at the University of Provence in Marseille, in 1978. After Willy Ronis and Lucien Clergue, he came to speak to us about his approach and philosophy of photography. At that time, for the young enthusiast that I was, Denis was already a legend. A few years earlier, when I had already set my sights on photography and was searching for a path into the rare existing schools, I had dreamed of joining his workshop in Bonnieux, where he welcomed a small group of students for a nine-month training program – an experience that was as much about life as it was about photography.
But in the end, I enrolled at the University of Provence for my photography studies, which, in a way, was an extension of the “Brihat school”. My main teacher was Yan Le Goff, a former assistant and close friend of Denis.
Following this first meeting, I decided to create a photographic documentary about Denis. He generously welcomed me into his world, opening his laboratory to me and explaining each step of his process, from the large-format camera to the printing and final mounting of the work. His kindness went so far as to reenact the entire process so that I could capture him at work: under the dark cloth of his camera in the heart of nature, then in the laboratory under the enlarger, carefully executing each stage of his complex toning process, and finally, at the heat press, completing the mounting of his photographs.
It was this extraordinary unity of the photographic act – so perfectly in harmony with his way of life – that deeply impressed me. It confirmed my own passion and commitment to photography. Many years later, when I opened the Camera Obscura gallery, it was only natural to collaborate with him. Over time, it was a true joy to present his work, both at the gallery and at Paris Photo.
The tribute exhibition now opening at the gallery brings together around thirty exceptional prints, many of them artist proofs. It includes key examples of his work from the 1960s, featuring unique prints and his early experiments with toning techniques, which he began in 1968.
Denis Brihat approached photography as a painter would, aiming to create images meant for the wall, for the sheer pleasure of viewing. In 1965, he exhibited his “photographic paintings” at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs: unique prints, each crafted from a single negative, with framing and format chosen specifically to best express each image.
Then, from 1968 onward, he delved into color through groundbreaking research on toning, including his famous gold toning process. At this point, he moved away from the rigid concept of the unique print, which he found too restrictive and, in essence, not very photographic. Instead, for each selected negative, he would produce an edition in a single session, on a single day, to ensure a consistent treatment – so complex that it required the utmost control in the darkroom. He remained faithful to this method throughout his career, up until his final prints in 2012.
As early as the 1960s, Denis Brihat had already summed up the essence of his work in a written statement: “My subject: nature. I live at its heart, in great solitude. Along with music, it provides the foundation and structure of my life. I listen to a great deal of music, particularly Bach. Looking back over the years, I see that despite having explored many subjects, there is an obvious, recurring link: it is a systematic study of nature’s forms, structures, and architecture.”
The exhibition “Tribute to Denis Brihat 1928 – 2024” can be seen at the Camera Obscura gallery in Paris, France until May 31, 2025.
