NORBERT GHISOLAND

BIOGRAPHY

Behind Norbert Ghisoland's black-and-white images lies a strong sense of brotherly loyalty, with the aim of showcasing the majestic body of work left behind by his father and grandfather. No less than 45 000 images on glass plates were found in the family attic, representing the phenomenal extent of the photographer's talent. Born in 1878 in La Bouverie, Belgium, Norbert Ghisoland inherited the photographic equipment destined for one of his brothers who had died. The younger son was initially a carpenter, then trained with Charles Galladé from 1897 to 1900 to become a photographer in turn. Until his death in 1939, Norbert Ghisoland was to capture his contemporaries in his boutique, Grand'Rue, in Frameries, which now constitutes an exceptional and moving heritage collection. Besides the sociological, historical, and ethnological interest, his art of the collective portrait, which has more than one parallel with the work of August Sander, won over connoisseurs with its structural coherency. It gradually came to be presented from 1991 onward thanks to exhibitions held in France, Greece, Belgium, and Luxembourg, and notably in 2013, when it was exhibited at the 55th Venice Biennale after being discovered by Cindy Sherman.  ... See more See less