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Studio Stone

Cami and Sasha Stone's work is spread across various international collections and reflects a life that took them from Berlin to Brussels, via the United States and Paris. Despite the importance of their studio's activities during the interwar period, their oeuvre remains largely unknown.
Discover their current exhibition in Ghent!

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photo gallery

In 1933, Arts et Métiers graphiques in Paris published a series of female nudes by Cami and Sasha Stone (though attributed only to Sasha Stone) in a portfolio of 20 photographs entitled " Femmes ." In June of the same year, the Stones, under the direction of Charles Leirens, presented an exhibition of these photographs at the Maison d'Art in Brussels, along with other photographs on the same theme.

This part of their work seems to have particularly delighted the art press of the time. Numerous comments praised the visual and aesthetic qualities of the photographs. A Belgian journalist, writing in the weekly magazine Les Beaux-Arts, Bulletin de la Vie Artistique, the artistic quality of the photographs, describing them as "hard and powerful" and "of consummate virility." He added that "we must especially congratulate Mrs. Stone, who has completely stripped herself of what might have been too feminine in her to create these luminous and epic nudes, which can easily rival the work of Sasha Stone." The sexist nature of this remark clearly resonates differently today. It is interesting to note that Cami's artistic value at the time was considered equal to Sasha's, despite being measured against him.

The photographers show their models from various angles, sometimes to the point of distortion. They play with light and shadow to emphasize the volumes of the bodies, recalling Sasha's initial training as a sculptor. They choose "lifelike" models, as Cami Stone puts it, in a clear desire to avoid professional models with standardized forms. There are several editions of the nude portfolio, but only one is from Arts et Métiers graphiques. In the 1950s, Cami reprinted all of these, which she offered for sale in her Brussels photo shop.

Photo gallery

Stone Collection

During the research phase of the Studio Stone project, a significant amount of work by Sasha and Cami Stone was unearthed. What is accessible online is compiled on this page, along with the accompanying metadata.

The exhibition and accompanying catalog received support from the Flemish and French Communities of Belgium as part of the Cultural Cooperation between the Flemish and French Communities.

Website text: Charlotte Doyen