Lucien Clergue

Clergue had his first public exhibition in 1954, and in 1956, be began his "Nudes of the Sea" series, for which he became famous. They represent a novel approach to photographing the body, focusing on abstract patterns of skin and water, and how light and shade plays across the surface. He worked with Paul Elaurd, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Cocteau on several projects during the 1960s. In 1980, he was named "Knight of National Order of Merit" in France. In 2006, he was elected to France's Académie des Beaux-Arts, the first photographer ever to receive that honor..