Portrait: Vanessa Vercel, a woman of movement, commitment and gentleness

Discover this week’s profile of Vanessa Vercel. Born in Paris and a photographer for 20 years, Vanessa Vercel was fortunate during lockdown to be commissioned by her agency to explore the capital’s iconic landmarks and capture this unprecedented period.

After several years of study at the Spéos photography school in Paris, Vanessa Vercel assisted many photographers before going freelance in 2005. Driven by a keen sense of detail, space and aesthetics, she is on a constant quest. This involves a desire to bring a fresh perspective to people and the world while enhancing their beauty. It is therefore no surprise that she has shot numerous fashion editorials for magazines. In this world, which is particularly close to her heart, she stands out for her mastery of the female portrait.

For the Paris Undressed series, Vanessa Vercel chose to work in black and white to add even greater intensity to her images, which are already imbued with empty urban landscapes beneath threatening clouds. “It feels like the end of the world,” she says. And yet Vanessa Vercel manages to preserve and bring out the softness and beauty of Paris.

These photos are, as she describes them, “full of memories, beauty, and pain too…”. March 2020 was a unique experience for each of us. Paris emptied of its tourists and pedestrians. An abandoned, deserted city that appears through Vanessa’s lens with breathtaking beauty, unlike anything we had ever seen. Place Vendôme deserted in the middle of the day, Place de la Concorde far from its usual bustle, the pristine Champ de Mars...

Capturing images of Paris without cars or pedestrians is surprising, even unthinkable, even today—especially with the galleries, museums, bars and streets that have been filling up ever since lockdown was lifted.

This unique and distinctive photographic series was created exclusively for La Manufacture. We are particularly attached to these works, which featured at our last public opening at our former art gallery in the 7th arrondissement.

If you would like to discover this exclusive series, visit our showroom in the 16th arrondissement. Book your time slot by clicking here or calling us on 0648769729.