Marcel Bascoulard

Marcel Bascoulard (1913–1978), a photographer, draughtsman and poet, led a singular and unconventional life in Bourges. Known for his drawings of the city’s streets, he also developed a photographic practice over nearly thirty years, centred on self-portraiture.

Wearing outfits he made himself, Bascoulard staged himself in a variety of settings, endlessly exploring his own image. Far from being purely narcissistic, his photographs appear to express a profound sense of solitude and a desire to exist beyond social conventions.

Long overlooked in favour of his drawings, his photographic work almost disappeared. Fragile and partly lost, it now offers a rare insight into the life and work of this extraordinary artist, who was murdered in Bourges in 1978.

Marcel Bascoulard, pose 3 - 24 août 67, 24 août 1967