Revisiting the best of Paolo Roversi’s work for Dazed

To become a great fashion photographer, you need to have more than just a beautiful portfolio of images – it is also about creating a unique and recognisable style that people will instantly connect with you.

Among these sacred few is Paolo Roversi, whose dreamy portraits can be immediately recognised as his. To celebrate his legacy, the photographer is opening a new exhibition today at the PhotoVogue Festival. Entitled Paolo Roversi Storie, the show is spread over nine rooms at the Palazzo Reale with each exploring a different narrative.

Curated by Vogue Italia’s Alessia Glaviano, the exhibition is a testament to the variety of Roversi’s work. In one room you will find fairytale-inspired images, while the next features portraits of Rihanna that were shot for her Anti album. Of course, there will be plenty of nudes too – that the photographer described to us as “the most elegant and pure way to take a portrait”.  

For years, the photographer has lent his creative eye to Dazed and AnOther too, shooting stories that have seen muse Guinevere Van Seenus completely encompassed in oversized knitwear from the AW14, Anna Ewers appear as a Blue Witch dressed in Comme des Garçons’ SS16 collection and also included Kristen Stewart and Mia Goth. 

While Roversi isn’t keen on reflecting on his work, he is grateful for the opportunity the exhibition has given him – and others – to revisit some of his iconic moments. “I prefer to go forward, to the future more than to the past,” he told us. “So going into my archives and exposing them is making them new, giving them a second life, a future.”

Paolo Roversi Storie is open from today until December 17 at Palazzo Reale – Piazza del Duomo 12, Milano.