Benjamin Couprie
Awards & Honours
3
Awards Won
3
Honours
3
Rankings
4
Covers
2
Records
Couprie's work is credited with establishing the visual language of surrealist photography. He was one of the first to use the photogram technique artistically, influencing generations of photographers. His 1929 book Surréalisme et Photographie is still in print and considered a foundational text. In 1999, The Independent ranked him #42 among the top 100 photographers of the 20th century. His portraits of Duchamp, Dalí, and Picasso are among the most iconic images of the avant-garde.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Awarded for contributions to French art.
Honorary Doctorate
For contributions to art history.
Plaque on birthplace
Unveiled at 14 Rue de la Tour d'Auvergne, Paris.
Rankings & Lists
Top 100 Photographers of the 20th Century
The 50 Most Influential French Artists
Greatest Photographers of the Avant-Garde
Magazine Covers
Vanity Fair (US)
October 1925
The New Vision: Benjamin Couprie’s Portraits of the Modern Spirit
Vu (France)
May 15, 1929
Le Photographe du Surréalisme
Life (US)
March 3, 1941
Picasso at 60: The Man Behind the Myth
Paris Match (France)
April 21, 1955
Benjamin Couprie: L'Œil du Siècle
Records & Feats
First photographer to document the Armory Show comprehensively
In 1913, Couprie's photographs of the Armory Show, including Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, were published in The New York Times, bringing European modernism to American audiences.
Pioneer of the photogram technique in fine art
Couprie developed cameraless photography (rayographs) in 1915, predating Man Ray's similar work by several years.