Robert Polidori

Robert Polidori is renowned for his meticulous large-format photography, which captures the intricate details of architecture, interiors, and the passage of time. With a career spanning over four decades, Polidori’s work is celebrated for its ability to document both the grandeur and decay of significant cultural landmarks. His photographs often explore the complex relationship between space and history, capturing moments of transformation and degradation in environments ranging from palaces and mansions to post-disaster sites.  Polidori’s images are known for their extraordinary depth, clarity, and precision, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the textures and details of each scene.

In his renowned series documenting the restoration of the Palace of Versailles, Polidori delves into the ways in which history is both preserved and reinterpreted. The series captures the painstaking restoration work taking place within the iconic French palace, revealing the laborious process of reconstructing historical interiors to evoke a specific narrative of the past. Through his lens, Polidori examines how the restoration process itself becomes a performance—where history is staged, manipulated, and carefully curated. His photographs highlight the tension between authenticity and artistic intervention, offering a meditation on the complex interplay of memory, artifice, and the politics of historical representation. Polidori’s work also includes powerful visual records of other significant historical moments, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Chernobyl, exploring the profound cultural and emotional significance embedded in each location and its buildings.

Polidori’s work has been exhibited internationally in renowned museums and galleries, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Getty Museum in Los Angeles; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Edwynn Houk Gallery has represented Polidori since 2012.