Bio of Benoit Malphettes
Reaching his sixties, the non-essentials gently fell away and inspired the French-American photographer to leave the fashion and editorial part of his photography to return to his childhood dream of taking pictures without constraint.
This circular homecoming was inevitable as he moved to a more contemplative environment near the California desert. At a time when most of us aspire to spend their life in leisure, Benoit saw it as an opportunity of transformation to enter a period of increased conceptual creativity and designed a personal studio in his new home. Benoit now uses a technical view camera, the digital-age version of the large format that allows him to retain the magical art of his film days. It also allows him to enjoy the skills accumulated during his four decades of work.
Benoit’s photography is represented in the permanent collections of public institutions, several museums, and in numerous private collections accross the US and Europe.
Since 2015, his work was featured in two museums solo exhibitions and was part of the exhibit “Facing Fire” at the California Museum of Photography.
His latest body of work “Open to Interpretation” is in progress and is scheduled to be exhibited at the County Museum of San Bernardino in Redlands in August 2022.
In 2016 Benoit received an Assembly Resolution from the State of California in recognition of his long history of creative practice, as well as the California Journalism Award for his portrait of Dr. Sterling Stuckey and in 2018, his work was included in New York’s MoMa exhibit “Is Fashion Modern”.
Bio of Benoit Malphettes