Raymond Voinquel

Raymond Voinquel, born in Fraizes (Vosges) in France demonstrated a very early and profound interest in beautiful things. Escaping a provincial life offering no particular excitement, he arrived in Paris in 1927 and tried working as an extra, hoping to make a career as an actor. Following a chance meeting, he became the assistant of the still photographer Roger Forster.

It was the beginning of a great career which would make Raymond Voinquel one of the most renowned figures in this highly specialised field. His mastery of large format cameras, lighting and developing won him the friendship and recognition of many famous people of the time who were quick to realise that presenting a perfect image to their public was vital to their fame. Ophüls, Renoir, Melville, Bunuel and Carné, all called upon his expertise.

During the Second World War, a difficult time for the geniuses of cinema many of whom took refuge in Hollywood, Raymond Voinquel joined the Harcourt Studios, thereby obtaining the right to sign under his own name. Raymond Voinquel's work also includes some remarkable landscape photography, made during trips to the East, which evoke his spiritual interests and concerns. His photographs of male nudes both in the studio and outside have provided a source of inspiration for several contemporary fashion photographers who perpetuate the tradition and the excellence of black and white photography.

Raymond Voinquel died in 1994.