This summer, Hamiltons are delighted to be taking you back in time to the sun-soaked Saint Tropez of the 1970s photographed by the esteemed Philippe Garner. The images capture the sizzling endless summer days on the beaches of Saint Tropez and in the surrounding towns of Aix-en-Provence. 

Our limited-time online viewing room is a perfect summer selection to dive head first into. Languorous tanned bodies punctuate a vibrant yet nostalgic collection of photographs of sea, sand and Seventies summertime living.

 

Summer - Seventies - Saint-Tropez  was the first solo show of photographs by Philippe Garner, a figure already well known and respected as a long-standing champion of photography through a fifty-plus years career as an auction specialist and historian.

 

The images – all shot on Kodachrome film, notable for the rich and vibrant saturation of its colours – take us back half a century to discover now-long-erased traces of an old Provence in and around Aix-en-Provence, where Garner was born. A discrete suite of images made on the now-legendary La Voile Rouge beach of Saint-Tropez capture the spirit of its raffish, chic-bohemian heyday.

  • Artwork Selection

    • Philippe Garner, Clothilde II, La Voile Rogue, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Clothilde II, La Voile Rogue, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Elke II, La Voile Rogue, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Elke II, La Voile Rogue, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, LUCILLA, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1974
      Philippe Garner, LUCILLA, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Mattress Boy, La Voile Rogue, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Mattress Boy, La Voile Rogue, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Paul Tomaselli, Proprietor, La Voile Rouge, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Paul Tomaselli, Proprietor, La Voile Rouge, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Mattress Cover, La Voile Rouge, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Mattress Cover, La Voile Rouge, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Clothilde I, La Voile Rouge, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Clothilde I, La Voile Rouge, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, SALADE NIÇOISE, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1974
      Philippe Garner, SALADE NIÇOISE, LA VOILE ROUGE, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Torso, La Voile Rouge, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Torso, La Voile Rouge, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Cracked Mirror, La Voile Rogue, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Cracked Mirror, La Voile Rogue, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Moules Mariniere, La Voile Rouge, 1975
      Philippe Garner, Moules Mariniere, La Voile Rouge, 1975
    • Philippe Garner, Car Park, Pampelonne Beach, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Car Park, Pampelonne Beach, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Elke I, La Voile Rouge, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Elke I, La Voile Rouge, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Clothilde III, La Voile Rogue, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Clothilde III, La Voile Rogue, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, The Bar, La Voile Rouge, 1974
      Philippe Garner, The Bar, La Voile Rouge, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Still Life I, Carcès, 1984
      Philippe Garner, Still Life I, Carcès, 1984
    • Philippe Garner, Summer Still Life II, Carcés, 1984
      Philippe Garner, Summer Still Life II, Carcés, 1984
    • Philippe Garner, Matériel Boulangerie-Patisserie, Aix-En-Provence, 1972
      Philippe Garner, Matériel Boulangerie-Patisserie, Aix-En-Provence, 1972
    • Philippe Garner, Shorts, Marseille, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Shorts, Marseille, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Chairs and Table, Marseille, 1975
      Philippe Garner, Chairs and Table, Marseille, 1975
    • Philippe Garner, G. GUEILLET FILS, 1976
      Philippe Garner, G. GUEILLET FILS, 1976
    • Philippe Garner, COCA-COLA, 1974
      Philippe Garner, COCA-COLA, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Alimentation, c. 1975
      Philippe Garner, Alimentation, c. 1975
    • Philippe Garner, CHEZ HELMUT NEWTON, LA CROIX-VALMER, 1975
      Philippe Garner, CHEZ HELMUT NEWTON, LA CROIX-VALMER, 1975
    • Philippe Garner, Dubo Dubon Dubonnet, Aix-En-Provence, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Dubo Dubon Dubonnet, Aix-En-Provence, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Circus Poster, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Circus Poster, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, Petrol Pump, North of Aix-En-Provence, 1974
      Philippe Garner, Petrol Pump, North of Aix-En-Provence, 1974
    • Philippe Garner, PRESSING POINTE ROUGE, 1975
      Philippe Garner, PRESSING POINTE ROUGE, 1975
    • Philippe Garner, 23 28 ED 13, Marseille, 1975
      Philippe Garner, 23 28 ED 13, Marseille, 1975
    • Philippe Garner, Torn Posters, Marseille, 1972
      Philippe Garner, Torn Posters, Marseille, 1972
    • Philippe Garner, Blue Door, Aix-En-Provence, 1972
      Philippe Garner, Blue Door, Aix-En-Provence, 1972
  • About The Artist

    'I had spent much time as a child and teenager in the South of France, based in Aixen- Provence, where...

    "I had spent much time as a child and teenager in the South of France, based in Aixen-

    Provence, where my grandmother lived. That region – including Marseille and the

    coastal resorts to the east of Marseille and their hinterland – became an important

    part of my life."

  • 'In the Seventies, camera in hand, I was able to respond to my fascination with such subjects as the artisanal...

    "In the Seventies, camera in hand, I was able to respond to my fascination with such subjects as the artisanal typography of commercial signage, the emblematic weathered traces of a Provence that was slipping away, the qualities of the summer light, the sensuality of textures – be they of flaking paint, of food, or of tanned skin. It was fundamental to my approach then – and it remains the case for me today – that the technical aspect of my making photographs should be of the utmost simplicity. My challenge has always been to identify and frame the precise subject that could perfectly reflect my curiosity and my sensibility."

  • Garner has enjoyed a long career as an auction specialist in the fields of photographs and 20th century decorative arts...

    Garner has enjoyed a long career as an auction specialist in the fields of photographs and 20th century decorative arts and design. He joined Sotheby’s in 1970 after graduating in French and Latin from Bedford College, London. He was instrumental in establishing the modern auction market for photographs. He joined Christie’s in 2004, retiring from his full-time commitments as a deputy chairman in 2016 to become a consultant. He continues to play a valued role in bringing major works and collections to auction.

     

    Since his childhood, Garner has been fascinated by many aspects of the visual and performing arts. As a consequence, his specific knowledge as a specialist in the history of photography is supported by a wide and rich culture. All this has served to inform and refine his discriminating eye, not only within his professional activity but in the passion that he has invested through the decades in making photographs – a passion that he had, until very recently, kept private.

  • Philippe Garner | Summer - Seventies - Saint-Tropez

    Listen to Philippe Garner discuss his 2023 exhibition at Hamiltons, Summer - Seventies - Saint Tropez.
  • Installation Images

  • ‘I was twenty-three when I took the first of these pictures. Thinking

    back to those years, I recall how driven I already was to make images that captured

    the essence of all that engaged me.’ - Philippe Garner