In this work, Larivière evokes the attachment to the reverie of innocent times – through his dreamlike and poetic gaze, he conveys to us his relationship with childhood. At this age when anything
is possible, the imagination of the gaze allows one
to cross the boundaries between reality and fiction
by transposing reality onto
a magical vision of things.


In the first part of the 20th century, toys and dolls were made with craftsmanship
and a desire for realism.
Their porcelain skin, shining eyes and articulated limbs, and highly detailed clothing often made of precious fabrics, were inspired
by the fashion of the time.


In making these portraits,
the artist questions the ambiguity of our gaze and the relationship between
the inanimate and the living.

Making-of Portrait of Dolls, Jean Larivière directs
his model during the photo shoot, 2016

Dolls, portrait de poupées

The dolls are reminiscent of those from the beginning
of the 20th century. This portrait is a series of large photographic prints taken on an 8x10.

The portraits alternate between colour and black and white. With these five dolls arranged in their boxes, the artist – himself a great collector of old toys – reveals a fondness for the collection.

Toys, portrait de jouets

The Portrait of a Toy is a diptych composed of two large black and white photographs in the 8x10 inch format.
On the left, we see a still life of a game of graces intertwined with a cup-and-ball – two old toys.
The refined composition reveals the great beauty of these toys.
On the right we see
a Jumeau doll in its box.

Portrait de bébés de caractère

At the beginning of the last century, all dolls had the same face: still, polished and with crystal eyes. The only difference was in the mouth – it was either closed or open.
The manufacturers then came up with new faces: smiling, crying, shouting, sticking out tongues, etc. The so-called babies with character.


Parents and children could choose different expressions for their doll.
To create the portrait of Bébé Caractère dolls, Larivière used an 8x10 to photograph two dolls staged in a small alcove. These constitute the two side panels of this triptych. The central panel shows a photograph of a box where the artist offers a choice of one or more expressions to put on the dolls.