Classic Statues Photographed as Everyday Hipsters

This series asks the question “What is the importance of clothing in our modern society?” How you dress is who you are. When you dress statues, suddenly no longer are they simply reclining figures from the distant past, they now look to be figures from modern and hip cities of today. Because they are made relevant to our current styles, we can see the realism and humanity in each figure.
—Leo Caillard

After spending a day at the Louvre in Paris, photographer Leo Caillard had the genius idea to dress classic statues in what he calls “hipster” clothing. These nude statues represent an ideal iconic figure, a concept of perfection. By clothing them, Caillard is addressing the power of representation.

To make these images, Caillard first photographed the individual statues. He then casted people who had the same body shape as the statues. He asked them to dress in “hipster-style” clothing for the shoot. He photographed the models in studio matching them with the position of the statue and using the same lighting. In post, he combines both photographs to make his final image.

Feature Shoot Contributing Editor Julia Sabot is the Associate Photo Editor at Dwell.

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