Samuel Owen Gallery Hosts Photo Exhibition

On February 9th, Samuel Owen Gallery of Greenwich will open Black & White Carpet: An exclusive photographic exhibition featuring candid celebrity black-and-white photography taken on the Red Carpet of the Cannes Film Festival by international photographer Stéphane Kossmann. They will include Leonardo di Caprio, George Clooney, Madonna, Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, etc.

For the past 20 years, Kossmann has been covering the red carpet – “the steps”- initially for “7 à Paris” and later for “Cinephage” magazine by taking black-and-white shots of celebrities and directors caught off-guard. During the festival in 2004 and 2005, several of these photos could be seen on 100-square-meter posters emblazoning buildings around Cannes as a token of appreciation for Kossmann’s work by the mayor and the city of Cannes. And 110 more — of Pedro Almodovar, Sharon Stone, Sean Penn, Nicole Kidman, and Robert de Niro — were contained in a book, “Observations sur les marches a Cannes,” produced by Sophie Lepeu.

“You always see the same red carpet photos: the stars posing for the camera and the carpet behind. I wanted to capture the actor’s humanity, their faces and eyes,” says Kossmann, who uses the same type of camera, a wide aperture and no flash. The results are startling because of Kossmann’s whisper-soft technique and the way he brings out poignant beauty without ever retouching his pictures.

The show opens with a reception on Thursday, February 9th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and will run through February 26. This month-long exhibition with coincide with Pre-Oscar events that the Avon Theatre Film Center in Stamford will be hosting to celebrate the Oscar Awards.  10% of sales will be donated to the Avon Theatre Film Center. Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

For more information, contact 203-422-6500, 203-325-1924 or info@samuelowen.com.