Fernand Fonssagrives

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Fernand Fonssagrives (June 8, 1910 - April 23, 2003) born near Paris, France he was a photographer known for his 'beauty photography' in the early 1940s, and as the first husband of the model Lisa Fonssagrives.

Fonssagrives married Lisa, his first wife, in 1935 and both became dancers. He said that he gave up dancing after he was injured while dancing.^{[citation needed]}. As a gift for recuperation Lisa gave Fernand a Rolliflex camera. In the process of learning He became a world class photographer and Lisa became a world famous model. He turned to photography and was a popular fashion photographer in the 1940s and 1950s when he took pictures for Town and Country and Harper's Bazaar magazines. The Fonssagrives divorced in 1950.

Fonssagrives's second marriage -- to Diane Capron, a professional figure skater and teacher -- also ended in divorce. The native Frenchman lived the last 30 years of his life in Little Rock, Arkansas. His later pictures featured female nudes with patterns of light on their skin. He was a true artist. He was a professional dancer, One of the top three photographers in NYC and at one point the highest paid photographer in New York. He was an award winning sculpture working in Bronze, an avid painter and who wrote prolifically. His photographic works are represented in Europe By Michael Hoppen Photography (London) and in the United States by Bonni Benrubi (New York) An image he created of his former wife Lisa is on the cover of the Spring Christies photographic auction catalog (2008).

Fonssagrives was survived by a daughter from his first marriage, Mia Fonssagrives-Solow, who is a sculpture and jewelery designerer, and a son from his second marriage, Marc Fonssagrives.