Pierre and Gilles dedicate themselves to representing the human experience reflected in familiar faces. But there is much more than meets the eye, and these images are full of unexpected meanings that transcend pop culture.
Before photography, painting, spotlights and celebrities, it was love. Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard met in Paris in 1976 during the opening of a Kenzo store. Pierre was a photographer, Gilles a painter. It's often said that business and pleasure don't come together, but Pierre and Gilles have been inseparable in love and art for over 40 years - and together they represent the best of pop culture like few others can. "It's hard to think of contemporary culture without the influence of Pierre et Gilles, from advertising to fashion photography, music videos and films. Their highly saturated images, which reference art history and religious iconography, create a visual impact that transcends cultures from all over the world. This is truly global art." The phrase comes from the American artist Jeff Koons, but it could be from any art lover who looks at Pierre et Gilles' images for more than two seconds. At first glance, they are vibrant, highly camp and kitsch and, for the most part, represent world-famous celebrities. But the duo's work goes beyond that obvious first impression. It is loaded with meaning and is both a representation of reality and an escape from it. They embrace various sensitive themes in society, from sex to religion, and cause subtle provocations, wrapped in flowers, butterflies and dreamlike scenarios. The duo's art is easily recognizable, and often described as "international, religious and exotic" combining the sacred with the profane: from homosexuality to religion, Hinduism to Greek mythology, eroticism to Christianity. Together they produce "images that mix reality, everyday life, dreams and fantasies", not forgetting some of the biggest stars on the planet such as Madonna, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier or Dita Von Teese.
But let's go back to the beginning, to how it all started. Their careers started out in the world of fashion photography and advertising, but a year after they met (and fell in love) they realized that they were also compatible in art - and all with a joke between friends: one day, Pierre decided to photograph them and Gilles painted over these photos - a process that gave them their brand image and which they continue to use to this day. Pierre starts each piece with a few sketches and then, together, they gather accessories to compose the set, dress and make up the model. Pierre takes the photograph and, after choosing the best one, Gilles paints it, highlighting numerous details or adding elements. They say that the whole concept is inspired by the model in question: everything is designed according to their personality and aesthetic, in a symbiotic process between the world of artists and celebrity, if that's the case. The creative journey is highly artisanal because this is where they find "constant surprises" and nothing can replace the act of painting by hand - not even Photoshop, which they refuse to use. New technologies have their limits and, for them, the work of artificial intelligence is "cold" and has "a lack of humanity", of soul. At the end of this process, they add a frame and the result is always fantastical and almost hypnotic but, despite this, we feel an undeniable closeness to the authors, perhaps because, as they say, their images resemble their personal world, with loves, dreams and encounters. Life imitates art.
They have always been close to celebrities and are highly coveted by them, but sometimes even the title of "King of Pop" isn't enough to make it into the duo's portfolio: Michael Jackson once commissioned 70 images to be made in a month. However, one piece of work requires one month, because each creation is special and thought out in detail. Although they represent these well-known faces, they see them more as figures playing roles made for them, rather than stars. And they're not afraid to transform them into something completely different from what they are. Perhaps it's this approach that makes their works so special, because they represent facets we're not used to seeing, fusing reality with fiction. There is much beyond pop culture, the world of icons and red carpets - and seeing this universe represented in this way is as fascinating as it is uncanny. Art imitates life.
But their work isn't just about familiar faces. There are no boundaries to Pierre et Gilles' inspiration: everything is of interest to the artists, from fashion to nature and modern life, nothing is forbidden. There are three themes that are referenced in almost all of their creations: religion, mythology and Indian culture. In fact, it was after a few trips to India that they found their signature. In Bollywood films, magazines and religious souvenirs, they saw a potential they had never explored before. They tell Danny with Love that their Catholic upbringing left a deep mark, even though they rejected it at some point in their lives. However, these trips helped them reshape their perspective on the subject, especially after seeing how the Indians represented sacred figures in such a colorful way (perhaps opposing the tragedy inherent in Christianity). For them, being an artist is also being an admirer of religion, because the mysticism of sacred creation is almost inseparable from art - and is as violent as it is delicate. Perhaps this is why they so often choose to elevate their models to a deified version of themselves, raising them to an idealized level where only gods and saints fit.
Even when the images can evoke comedy, they say, it's never out of irony. It is, in fact, out of love and never out of mockery: from sexual liberation to the AIDS pandemic, from homosexuality to political issues, there is much beyond pink and sailor suits. Their view of the world has changed a lot as a result of these experiences and tragedies, and even in the prettiest, most innocent images or those adorned with a mega celebrity, there is depth and a desire to make the world "more beautiful and more livable" - and that is the supreme value of their art. And even after photography, painting, spotlights and celebrities, all this remains.
Translated from the original on The Fame Issue, published October 2023. Full credits and stories in the print issue.
Most popular
.jpg)
Gracie Abrams em Lisboa: "Foi libertador ser um pouco mais 'barulhenta' nesta fase da minha vida"
13 Feb 2025

A Mango Selection apresenta a sua nova coleção: eis as escolhas de Vicky Montanari
12 Feb 2025

Relacionados
.jpg)

.jpg)
Gracie Abrams em Lisboa: "Foi libertador ser um pouco mais 'barulhenta' nesta fase da minha vida"
13 Feb 2025