Gérard Houin

Gérard Houin developed a passion for photography at an early age. He trained in camera techniques at the Vaugirard school (ENS Louis-Lumière) and then began working. From 1967 onwards, he was reunited with his old friends, all of whom had a passion for music. He attended concert rehearsals and regularly photographed the many artists who came before his lens. His vision won him over, and record companies, producers and magazines began to take a close interest in his work. In the early 1970s, he set up his own studio and photo laboratory, and began working with a number of well-known press titles. At the same time he met all the emblematic artists of the period: Sylvie Vartan, Johnny Hallyday, Françoise Hardy, Michel Polnareff, etc. The press loved his work, devoting covers and double pages to him from 1975 onwards (Jours de France, Paris Match). In 1979, one of his photos of Johnny Hallyday was selected for the poster of the exhibition organised by the CAPC in Bordeaux, to mark the 20th anniversary of the singer's career. Through his lens, Gérard Houin offers us much more than just images: he reveals the vibrant soul of the artistic scene. His images capture the moment with a rare intensity, immortalising the grace, beauty and aura of legendary figures such as Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Charles Aznavour, Michel Berger, Claude François, Claude Nougaro, Renaud and Michel Sardou among others. His archive plunges us into the heart of pure emotion, the consuming passion that drives these icons of music and entertainment.

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