Daniel Boudinet (1945-1990) was one of the first artists to emancipate himself from photojournalism, playing an important role in the photographic renaissance of the 1970s. His personal work explored the renewed use of colour. Used primarily for architectural views, colour in his work was employed to reveal the majesty and mystery of the photographic subject. His technical mastery may be seen in his night photographs, taken of the city, but also of gardens and nature, encouraging contemplation.

Also a portraitist, Daniel Boudinet photographed and rubbed shoulders with the artists and intellectuals of his time, including figures like Roland Barthes. Although very involved in the arts scene of the 1970s and 1980s, Daniel Boudinet developed a highly independent body of work. From his early career, he had an interest in architecture and the landscape: after a first book in which he documented the transformation of the urban landscape (Bagdad-sur-Seine), he then focused on the opposite, turning his attention to architectural vestiges or ruins.

Thanks to his use of long exposure techniques, the viewer’s gaze can linger on the proportions, texture and harmony of the subjects. Interested by the effects of light, especially at night, he exploited the possibilities of the medium inorder to construct, through colour, seductive yet slightly surreal spaces.