Paulette Tavormina: Seizing Beauty

Paulette Tavormina’s first monograph reveals her seductive and opulent still lifes–heirs to the legacy of the Old Masters, as seen through the lens of contemporary photography.

Paulette Tavormina’s photographs of cornucopia, botanical arrays, and tableaux of flora and food are traditional in approach but boldly modern in their precision. Her sumptuous still lifes–replete with delphiniums, roses, lemons, figs, beetles, and porcelain bowls–recall the sumptuous detail of Old Masters such as Francisco de Zurbaran, Adriaen Coorte, and Giovanna Garzoni, with whom Tavormina shares a painterly perspective, dramatic use of light, and a masterful skill at creating dramatic compositions from the everyday. Maintaining their strong emotional resonance and ability to transcend space and time, Tavormina creates worldly still lifes that serve as intensely personal interpretations of timeless, universal stories.

In only a few years Tavormina has staked out a unique position in the fine-art photography world. Featuring 65 works, this book marks the important first phase of Tavormina’s ascent and will satisfy her growing audience and numerous galleries and exhibition venues.