Bernard Gateau

Growing up in the French Alps brought Bernard Gateau his first contact with interesting faces. Using his grandmother Kodak 120 camera, he began memorializing the fast-vanishing village life of his surroundings: farmers, shepherds even itinerant distillers of fruit alcohols.

Abandoning a career with IBM, he took to the road on a round-the-world drive  during which he discovered not only skill in fixing cars, but a talent for capturing the essence of rural peoples in portraiture.

These days, whether on the roads of Ethiopia, Tibet, India or Tajikistan, Bernard continues to be captivated by faces, which he transforms into portraits of grace, power and empathy, each telling a uniquely personal story.

Bernard lives in L'Isle sur La Sorgue, France.