Paulette Tavormina lives and works in New York City and Connecticut. Amidst the bustle that defines the city and the tranquility of the country orchards, she can often be found searching for the perfectly imperfect flora that characterize her photographs. Her arrangements often recall the sumptuous detail of seventeenth century Old Master still life painters, and serve as intensely personal interpretations of timeless, universal stories. With a painterly perspective reminiscent of Francisco de Zurbarán, Adriaen Coorte, Juan Sánchez Cotán and Giovanna Garzoni, Tavormina creates worldly still lifes.
Tavormina also has a successful career as a commercial photographer; recently photographing Gucci's Alchemist's Garden Perfume campaign. She has photographed works of art for Sotheby's, fragrances for GOOP, and recipes for The Del Posto Cookbook (Hachette) with chef, Mark Ladner. She has been commissioned by National Geographic Magazine and The New York Times, among others. Previously, Tavormina was a prop and food stylist in Hollywood, her work seen on the silver screen in seven films such as Nixon, The Astronaut's Wife and The Perfect Storm.
Tavormina is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant. Her monograph, Paulette Tavormina: Seizing Beauty (Monacelli Press, 2016) was reviewed by The New York Times and Architectural Digest.
Tavormina's photographs are held in museum, corporate and private collections and have been exhibited in Paris, London, Moscow, Lugano, Madrid, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Palm Beach, Boston, Palm Desert and San Francisco. Solo museum shows: The Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland, 2016, Snite Museum of Art at Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana, 2016. Museum collections: Alimentarium, Musée de l'Alimentation, Vevey, Switzerland, Art in Embassies, US Department of State, Washington D.C., Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI, Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida FL, Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID.
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Goldfish and the Cat
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Pink Peonies and the Cat
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Dahlias, Canaries and the Cat
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Lemons and Peony, After F.D.Z.
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Orchard Pears
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Still Life With Jámon Ibérico, After L.M.
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Lemons and Pomegranates, After J.V.H.
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Blue Hydrangeas, Yellow Canaries & Love Letter
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Dutch Flowers, Yellow Canary & Turtle
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Roses & White Canary
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Blueberries and Apricots, After G.G.
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Bread and Dragonfly, After J.V.H.
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Banquet
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Cornucopia
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Dahlias and Figs
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Dutch Tulips and Goldfish
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Lemons and Prickly Pears
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Orchard Plums and Morning Glories, After G.G.
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Oysters, After W.H.C.
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Plums and Chinese Walnuts, After G.G.
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Still Life with Quince and Jug, After L.M.
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Wild Raspberries, After G.G.
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Red Cherries and Plums, After G.G.
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Still Life With Bread and Chocolate, After L.M.
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An Exclusive Interview with Paulette Tavormina
Ariel Su, Lens Magazine, 1 November 2023 -
Seizing beauty: a dialogue between old master still lifes and Paulette Tavormina’s photographs
The Eye of Photography -
A PHOTO IN TIME
Katherine Pearson, Flower -
PAULETTE TAVORMINA DELIVERS OLD MASTERS FOR THE MODERN AGE
Interior Monologue
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Still Life Photography for The Modern Home
Luxury Defined: By Christie's, 7 February 2020 -
Photographer Paulette Tavormina on the Art of the Table
Alexandra Owens, Sotheby's, 29 March 2017 -
The Still Life Photographer Who Is Reinterpreting Dutch Masters
Jennifer Fernandez, Architectural Digest, 27 April 2016 -
Vivid Images That Aren’t Old Masters — but Look Just Like Them
The New York Times, 20 April 2016
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Paulette Tavormina
Fiore del Giardino 25 May - 28 June 2023Replete with flowers from her own garden, Tavormina's enchanting photographs include surprise elements and hidden symbolism inspired by her admiration of the Dutch still-life painters of the 17 th century.Read more -
Paulette Tavormina
Seizing Beauty 15 December 2021 - 21 January 2022Photographer Paulette Tavormina builds upon the tradition of still-life while exploring nature and time in each of her carefully created and captured images.Read more