You may be aware of Dennis Hopper’s amazing film and directorial career, with an extraordinary list of credits such as Rumble Fish, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now and True Romance to his name – just to name very few. What you may not know, however, is that Hopper is also an extremely talented photographer and painter in his own right. Held recently at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) was a wonderful showcase of Hopper’s photographic work – which  appeared alongside Hopper’s impressive personal art collection, and presentations of his film work.

Titled Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood, it was a veritable visual feast, and Desktop was privileged to be able to speak with Matthieu Orléan, curator at the Cinémathèque Française, to find out more about this wonderful show. Orléan has had a long held interest in and admiration for Hopper’s work and in 2008 he presented Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood at the Cinémathèque Française.

Can you tell us about your role at the Cinematheque francaise?
In 2003 I began working at the Cinémathèque française as an Artistic Advisor working for temporary exhibitions. This has involved organizing two exhibitions a year in our 650m2 space. We are very lucky because the Cinémathèque is located in Paris in a very atypical Frank O. Gehry building, full of lights, original viewpoints, surprises and paradoxes (high ceilings Vs intimate places, white stone Vs metal). As an Artistic Advisor I work with the invited curators of our shows. However, I also curate exhibitions. I have curated two exhibitions about cinema and its relationships to visual arts (video, photo, painting): ¡Almodóvar Exhibition! (Spring 2006); andDennis Hopper and the New Hollywood (Autumn 2008), each time working closely with the directors themselves, and having access to their professional and personal artistic collections.

Can you tell us a bit about the work of the Cinematheque francaise?
Since its creation in 1936 by Henri Langlois, the Cinémathèque is in two temporalities at the same time: the past and the present. The exhibitions are more on the side of the present, like events linked to our retrospectives (we own three theatres and program 2000 screenings each year), teaching activities (with adults and children) or encounters we’re organizing with directors, actors, editors, producers, directors of photography, set designers… The past is the every day treatment of our huge collection. With its wealth of some 40,000 films, the Cinémathèque française is one of the largest international archives. However, we also own a multiple ‘non-film’ collection (20,000 posters, 12,000 sketches for costumes and sets, press clippings, 500,000 photographs, 20,500 books on cinema, DVD).

How did you first become aware of Dennis Hopper’s photography?
I have been for a long time very interested in Los Angeles culture before and in the 1970’s and I heard many times about the Dennis Hopper’s pictures. I discovered them through various books about both those subjects.

Why do you think Hopper’s photographic works are important?
In the heart of the exhibition in Paris, but also in Melbourne, are the B&W pictures of Hopper done in the 60s. They are central because they are very representative of how clever Dennis Hopper was as a witness of the destruction, and the reconstruction of a modernity. You understand clearly how Dennis Hopper was a relay, fascinated by the subversive face of America, inspired by the myths of the society, and the artists that participate through installations, performances or demonstrations to the changes and the rebellion. By the choice of the subject, the quality of the frame and the intimacy with the persons photographed, those photo are the consecration of this New America.

Can you tell us about Hopper’s technique and what equipment he typically uses?
For his work as a photographer, Hopper began in 1959 taking B&W pictures. He used solely Tri-X film which enabled him to work with natural light without needing a flash. The majority of Hopper’s photographs have been exhibited in Los Angeles since 1961. They have also been published in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. In the 80s, after having stopped photography between 1967 and 1989, he worked with a Nikon 35Ti that he bought during a trip in Kyoto. He then worked with both B&W and colour. Recently, he has started making digital pictures for his own work and also portraits of actors and actresses for magazines. It’s also important to understand that Hopper likes to transform his own photos (both B&W and colour) into huge billboards. Some are Oil Paint on Vinyl with Water Based Varnish. Some are Oil Paint on Canvas with Water Based Varnish. For Hopper, an image is never done. Never dead. It circulates. A medium becomes another one. A mid-sized photograph becomes a huge billboard, done with an advertisement technique. It tells both about fascination and irony. It tells about the strength of the mythology and also about the commercial temptation that is in it, especially in Hollywood.

Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood closed on Sunday 25 April 2010.

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