American photographer Bruce Gilden forged his career on the candour of his images — harshly lit close-ups of the zany characters that walk the streets of New York. A similar obsession with capturing the essence of characters, albeit ones that perhaps don’t quite belong to this world, has fuelled Alessandro Michele in his tenure at Gucci, resulting in some of the most narrative-driven fashion you’ll find out there at the moment.
The publication of Beaten & Blown by the Wind, Gucci’s latest limited edition art book conceived by the creative vision of Alessandro and shot by Bruce in Rome, is, therefore, a gift we’ve long been waiting for. In high-flash B&W street portraits of Roman citizens young and old, as well as musician Achille Lauro, actress and model Benedetta Barzini, and model Bethann Hardison, the book conveys clothes from the house’s Pre-Fall 2020 Collection in a poetically stark, sombre light.
“Bruce is a beautiful person with a poetic gaze on humanity,” says Alessandro, “we share the same passion for faces and an obsession with expressions, personalities and looks. Working with a photographer means seeing through someone else’s eyes and it was wonderful to see through Bruce’s eyes.”
“I had never made a book in this way before, which I viewed as a photographic challenge, and the end result is a truly creative collaboration with Alessandro Michele,” says Bruce. “Having Rome as the backdrop was great, the city really inspires me – the beauty of the architecture and its age and watching how the Roman people move around their unique surroundings, as well as discovering the statues in the park high above Rome that mix with beautiful clouds, and the panorama of the city below… it all lent itself for some good pictures.” Great pictures, we hasten to add.
Credits
Photography Bruce Gilden