Deborah Turbeville – Photocollage

Unique style

Deborah Turbeville worked primarily for leading fashion magazines and brands, but she expressly did not consider herself a fashion photographer. She had a recognizable style right from the outset in her earliest works dating from the 1970s, with sepia tints that coloured her black and white images, and she used overexposure and a soft focus that veil her subjects. In her work, mysterious female figures pose in public spaces and the interiors of stately buildings, or wander through desolate winter landscapes. The images evoke a dreamworld or a period of long ago and – in the case of her commercial assignments – prioritize the creation of an atmosphere that transcends selling a brand.

Rich inner world

As one of the few women in a profession dominated by men, Deborah Turbeville opted to follow a path that was diametrically opposed to that of her colleagues. She searched for models with faces that suggested a rich inner world. In many cases they were people who did not consider themselves to be models and needed some convincing before allowing themselves to be photographed. Turbeville then portrayed them as being lost in thought, in relaxed postures bordering on lethargy – nothing like the modern, sexy and self-assured women who were to be seen in other articles in the same fashion magazines.

Photographing, editing, reprinting, merging, pinning

Turbeville’s artistic signature went beyond the photographic process. She continued her experiments in the darkroom in her studio, where the prints were torn, scratched, burnt or taped. Using this process she gave brand new prints a patina, which made the works appear to come from a different age. The upshot is a breathtaking collection of manipulated artworks, torn to pieces and then used to made completely new ones. The exhibition in Huis Marseille brings together authentic vintage prints that are characterized by this extraordinary materiality.