Walter Pfeiffer began practicing photography in the 1970s with little technical ambition, but a big will to provide some fresh visual vocabulary for beauty, eroticism and freedom of spirit. His work gained its initial recognition through an underground network of admirers, like Terry Richardson, and today it has achieved cult status. From November 15 to December 20, Parisian gallery Baumet Sultana will exhibit Pfeiffer’s work. The gallery is located in Le Marais in a neighborhood specifically devoted to contemporary art.

The exhibition will focus on photographs taken in Berlin and Zurich, the two most significant cities in the artist’s life. Berlin is where Pfeiffer works and meets “cool and natural models with a unique look.” When he comes across a boys he wants to photograph, he’s got to move quickly and remain focused — it’s a one-time chance, he won’t see him ever after.

The Swiss city of Zurich is where Walter Pfeiffer lives. His friends, his habits and his main gallery are all there. The boys are more difficult to approach. “It takes time to convince one and get him to pose. You have to try and try again. They are really more reserved,” he explains. “But I have some models that trust me there, and we work together really well.”

Some of the models featured in the exhibit became his friends. He watched them grow older, get married and have children. An emotional proximity that certainly is a key factor in the beauty of these portraits.

Galerie Baumet Sultana