Raymond Cauchetier's New Wave, James Hyman Gallery

It is radical artist Raymond Cauchetier's 95^th birthday and James Hyman Gallery is celebrating with a brilliant exhibition of the innovative French film-set photographer.

Who is Raymond Cauchetier?

Born in 1920, Cauchetier learnt his craft as an air force photographer during the Indo-China war in the 1950s when he travelled frequently through Vietnam and Cambodia. Even as a young boy, he became enchanted with the far east, staring out of his window at the recreation of Angkor Wat temple at the Paris Colonial Exhibition.

Raymond Cauchetier photography

Cauchetier would go on to work with many of the most influential film directors in the French New Wave cinema movement and his photos serve as an important record of this experimental period in French film history. Far from an invisible photographer on set, Cauchetier delighted in the drama of the business and went out of his way to get to grips with nervous nail-biting starlets and ferocious directors. Some of the best known Raymond Cauchetier images weren't even on set, but fleeting kisses and interactions caught during breaks from filming.

Cauchetier’s stunning black and white images transport their viewers to a vibrant period in French cinema, portraying iconic scenes from cult films like Jean-Luc Goddard’s Á Bout de Souffle (1959) and Marcel Ophüls’ Peau de Banan (1963). In addition to his most famous work, this new display includes both pictures from the photographer’s private collection, and lesser-known images from Cauchetier’s travels through Asia.

Step into a golden age of 20th century French cinema with Raymond Cauchetier's arresting images. Film buffs and photography enthusiasts will love this secret gem in Mayfair.