Black-and-white photographs of Parisian life by photographer Michel Maïofiss will be on display at New York University’s Maison Française, located at 16 Washington Mews, from March 21 through May 13. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m,; call 212.998.8750 to confirm gallery hours and for more information.
An opening reception will be held on Monday, March 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. On Tuesday, March 22, at 7 p.m., a conversation between the photographer and writer and critic Carole Naggar will take place; both events are free and open to the public and will take place at La Maison Française.
Born in Chamonix in 1943, Michel Maïofiss belongs to the great tradition of photographers of Paris and its changing neighborhoods, its daily life, and its individuals caught in moments of joy or isolation: Mona Lisa behind her bar, a couple of young rock fans embracing, a pair of legs leaping across a snowy street, an impromptu outdoor haircut, political demonstrations and young folks re-inventing summer delights, celebrations from the beaux quartiers to the alleys and cafes of Belleville — all are subjected to the photographer’s eye.
Critic Carole Nagger says of Maïofiss and his photographic epiphanies: “Stroller in the land of the read, Maïofiss makes us see every encounter as if he had just arrived on earth and was doing, for himself and for us, location scouting on a silent film shot day in, day out, with real actors With his quick movements and his very sure instinct in framing, Maïofiss has a gift for making us feel the precariousness of the world.”
Maïofiss’s career has included filmmaking, work in the theater and for television, and photo reportage for such magazines as Actuel and Geo. His photographs have been featured in dozens of books, magazines, and other publications, and are included in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the Fondation de la Photographie - Lyon.