Stories from Père Lachaise—Carolyn Campbell’s Photographic Art Springs to Life

November 20, 2021 by Carolyn Campbell

Diversions LA logoBy Genie Davis
Photos by Carolyn Campbell and Genie Davis

Reprinted from the November 18, 2021 issue of Diversions LA

Carolyn Campbell slide talk

Ooh la la—photographic artist and author Carolyn Campbell’s bestselling book, City of Immortals: Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris came to life at the Raymond Kabbaz Theatre in Los Angeles on November 6th, 2021.

An immersive multi-disciplinary festival, the 6-hour event paid tribute to the many artists resting in the cemetery, from Bizet to Jim Morrison.

The event included a photographic exhibition, film screening, artist talks, and book signing, as well as tasty baguettes and champagne. 

City of Immortals photo exhibition

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Vernissage at the Cemetery

March 17, 2018 by Carolyn Campbell

I was in Paris during November, 2016 and had the pleasure of meeting artist Milène Guermont at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by expat and mutual friend Michael Kurcfeld, a producer of an ongoing series of video profiles of top fine-art photographers.  Milène spoke of her sculpture project, “CAUSSE” installed in Montparnasse Cemetery; and I shared with her my life-long passion for Père Lachaise. With the juxtaposition of our creative interests in burial monuments, I am happy that we have stayed in touch across 6,000 miles. May her work be an inspiration to those considering a memorial tomb.  It gives me great pleasure to share details of her recent artwork in Paris here on the City of Immortals blog.

Vernissage at the Cemetery

“In the history of the art of the burial tomb, it is today quite rare, if not almost impossible, to be able to express oneself artistically for a contemporary funerary artwork because the norms have come to constrain this ancestral expression. While we enjoy walking in our cemeteries, these new places are becoming boring. Except for “monuments to the memory of …” or commemorations of a famous person or a dramatic event, artists have deserted this direct reflection on death and one of the traditional rites, the burial.

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Stories in Stone

March 1, 2018 by Carolyn Campbell

Douglas Keister is an author and photographer I have long admired.  We met in person at a book signing recently in Los Angeles (he lives up north in Chico, CA) and he agreed to share an excerpt from one of his many fine books on cemeteries.

“Cemeteries are virtual encyclopedias of symbolism. The symbols on a person’s tomb may help to tell us something about the life of its inhabitant. Dead men may tell no tales, but their tombstones do. Besides informing us of the person’s name and dates of birth and death, a tombstone often tells us a person’s religion, ethnicity, what clubs he was a member of, occupation and what the person’s thoughts were on the afterlife.

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Happy Valentine’s Day to all Taphophiles

February 14, 2018 by Carolyn Campbell

For cemetery lovers everywhere – a special Valentine’s Day offer from City of Immortals– the full color, fold-out Père Lachaise Cemetery map for only $9.95.

Folded map inside

Folded map front

Jeanne Hébuterne

January 25, 2018 by Carolyn Campbell

Jeanne Hébuterne (April 6, 1898 –January 25,1920) was a French artist, best known as the frequent subject and common-law wife of the artist Amedeo “Modi” Modigliani. Sadly, she took her own life on this day.

Amedeo Modigliani and Jeanne Hébuterne

Hébuterne’s family had brought their daughter to their home after hearing that Modigliani had died, but the distraught Jeanne threw herself out of the fifth-floor apartment window, killing herself and her unborn child.

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