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EDWYNN HOUK Hosts ROBERT POLIDORI

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NEW YORK CITY — Edwynn Houk Gallery announces that exhibition of 15 larger-scale photographs by Robert Polidori will be on view through June 14.

In a project that has spanned more than 25 years, “Robert Polidori: Versailles” documents the decadence, eccentricity and ultimate transformation of the palace from monarchical symbol and heart of Ancient Regime France to international tourist destination and modern museum.

Following a period of unflinching auction sales on the palace grounds during and immediately after the French Revolution, the “Citizen King,” Louis-Phillipe, bequeathed Versailles to the cultural patrimony of France in 1830. Conservation on the palace began in the 1880s, but the modern era of restoration did not begin until John D. Rockefeller gifted 60 million francs to the project from 1924 through 1936.

Exploring issues of historical revisionism through restoration, “Versailles” emphasizes architectural detail and the majesty of Eighteenth Century rococo/baroque design. At the same time, Polidori suggests the ambiguity involved in any restoration project. He envisions a temporal paradox: an Eighteenth Century palace restored by a modern society attempting to imagine itself as it once was.

In an extraordinary display of technique, Polidori’s use of 8 by 10 large-format view camera allows for a high level of clarity and focus.

Born in 1951 in Montreal, Polidori is the author of eight books, including Versailles (Place des Victoires 1999), Havana (Steidl 2001), Metropolis (Metropolis 2004) and After the Flood (Steidl 2006). An exhibition of his work titled “After the Flood” featuring photographs taken in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art September–December 2006. His work is featured in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Biblioteque National, Paris.

Edwynn Houk Gallery is at 745 Fifth Avenue. For more information, 212-750-7070 or www.houkgallery.com.