TALENT AGENCY GAME-CHANGER Valentine Avron ON THE ART OF STANDING OUT & CELEBRATING PETER LINDBERGH'S LEGACY

Valentine Avron is the founder of Art.19, a Paris-based talent agency she started in 2019. Its name and mission is inspired by the United Nations’ Article 19, on freedom of expression within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She manages the image rights and archives of late photographer Peter Lindbergh, who she had met earlier, in 2009. He joined her agency roster in 2019, but then unexpectedly passed away. Here she illuminates why proactive agents are worth their cut, the power of the personal when it comes to getting noticed, and the art of running a bespoke business with global reach.

Sascha Behrendt: Let’s start by talking about Art.19, your agency representing creative talent. What are its main principles and how are you doing things differently?

Valentine Avron: It's not really about doing things differently. It's more doing things the right way. I used to work within a big agency with big photographers, and I decided I wanted to create one myself, that was smaller and more personal. For me, an agency is about offering service, advice, and also human relationships. It's not just commissions, money and best deals. 

So, that was why I started Art.19 Agency – to help develop artists’ personal projects, and to offer closer attention as an agent. If I’m a client or luxury brand, and I see portfolios from talented photographers, one after another, what makes the difference is the personal, or social project, or book. But also, the personality of the photographer behind the images. 

We feel that, in order to achieve a long photographic career, you need to have personal projects. You cannot only do fashion. That kills the creativity of a photographer, stylist or art director.

SB: Peter Lindbergh, whose work you represent, would have started his career with time to focus on his own personal projects. Nowadays, pressure to get results and make money takes the energy away from that.

VA: 100%. And that keeps you away from the inspiration. A photographer or creative is an artist. They need to be inspired, to have distance and time off. It’s not necessary to be fully scheduled. Peter didn't distinguish between commercial and personal work, because he was so involved in all of them.

He developed many projects people don’t know about. One of his biggest was interviewing and filming US prisoners on death row. He worked on that for years. It was intense. One can only imagine the emotions of the people that were condemned. Peter was known for beauty, gorgeous girls and actresses, but he was a fabulous film director too. When an agent also supports that kind of project, it creates a strong bond.

SB: Yes, I saw that he made films about method acting and choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch. Lindbergh also studied art in Berlin and was published alongside other iconic peers Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin. What for you makes his work so iconic?

VA: For me, it's a mix. Of course, technically, it is the light and the set design. But more than that, he was truly and deeply interested in the people he was photographing, making them feel comfortable, which is not easy.  

That's so important to say nowadays. If you want to be a photographer, don't only put your attention into photography. Open up wider and get interested in architecture, food, and cinema, because that will feed your brain. These are things that inspired Peter, but he was also a very simple person from his generation, and comfortable saying out loud, “I'm a fashion photographer” when others did editorial or advertising but felt it was dirty in a way. He loved fashion, and all kinds of women. It’s the combination of all these qualities that made him unique as a person and photographer.

SB: After Peter Lindbergh died in 2019, you were entrusted with the legacy of his work, in close relation to his foundation and family. How do you handle it, what does that involve for you?

VA: I'm very lucky and honoured to be in charge of the licensing of Peter’s work. He already said when he was among us, that he didn't want his legacy to go through a big company structure, he wanted to manage it carefully, to do things with heart and emotion, and not for money. 

It’s not always easy, but I try to put Peter’s photography at the centre of what is being requested. I ask myself, does it have a link with the proposed project? If not, I don't see a reason why I would give the right to use his image.

You have to force yourself to ask these questions. Any of his images used in the world for books, magazines, TV, interviews, or websites have to go through me. It’s a lot. But you can tell the difference between those who have a real proposal and those who do not. At the same time, I don't want to make his work only something from the past. Peter has died and okay, it's a legacy, but nonetheless, it's still alive. Let's make something dynamic of it.

There are so many pictures that still haven’t been seen. Most that have, are obviously iconic — top supermodels together, the bikers, etc, that everyone knows.

When I’m asked for photography and I have time, I always suggest an alternative just to push people. What is interesting is to be proactive, to go to brands or magazines with, Hey, look! Here is what exists in the archives that you don’t know about. 

We don't want to make just a catalogue based on the past, so we need to do this strategising instead to preserve the integrity and longevity of the work and make sure it is recognised as current and alive.

SB: How did you become an agent, was it something you always wanted to do?

VA: Absolutely not. Oh, my God! I didn't even know it existed! I thought an agent was only for celebrities. I wanted to be a photographer myself when I was very young, and then I studied art and philosophy of arts and found it so inspiring. I could have done that for years. And then by chance, an agent was looking for someone to help him. I was like: Me, in fashion? Forget it. But there’s that moment when you have to make a choice. And it's weird because it's unknown territory. But then, somehow, you know you're making the right decision, and say, Okay, let's give it a chance. 

SB: Peter Lindbergh followed his gut instinct when he chose to work with you.

VA: Exactly. That was really what happened because he trusted me. He could have chosen any person, but he wanted something different and fresh. He had been with the same person for years and years. 

SB: A very different question, but it's on everyone's mind at the moment. Is AI posing a challenge for Lindbergh’s archive, with so many famous images circulating online in the public domain?

VA: We cannot say anymore that AI is coming. No, it’s here already. I don't see it as a challenge, because we have to consider it as part of the new technology. Of course, there is a real problem for us with the copyright, and I think the law around this is going to change. I'm already discussing my terms and conditions and how to anticipate that with my lawyer. 

SB: Are you seeing it in the work of younger photographers?

VA: Yes. As an agent, I'm always happy to meet with new talent, just to stay in touch, even if it's not to represent them. One of them was telling me they wanted to consider AI in their work. They didn’t yet know how, but it was going to happen. So instead of pushing it back and finding it ugly, they were going to find a way to make it beautiful and still their own work. I found that so smart.

SB: What issues do emerging photographers face today?

VA: Oh, a lot. I find them very brave, because only ten years ago, to be an assistant, you had a chance to get by; there were opportunities. But now there are so many photographers. The competition is hard, the market is saturated.

And on top of that, they are all super talented and knowledgeable about the culture of fashion photography, but are not trying to copy it. They also know how the market works. It makes my work more interesting because I can have proper, real conversations with them about strategy.

SB: In today's digital world, with everyone overwhelmed, how do you create opportunities?

VA: I think if you are a hard worker, you will always find a way. It's a question of analysing the brands, and the person you want to target first. That’s already 50% of the job. Because if you don't target the right person, you have no chance to go anywhere from there. It’s not by harassing or emailing a person, that’s useless.

SB: And despite all this technology, it's still old-fashioned face-to-face connections that are meaningful and make a difference.

VA: Yes. I see that each time I or my photographers have a physical meeting with clients. I know that we have a big chance to get a job, or at least an option for one a few weeks after. But I also think about how to showcase my photographers in a nice, inventive, way.

I don’t want to just send a digital newsletter or put it on Instagram, it’s not very representative of how we work and present them. So, recently I thought: Okay, let’s print a newsletter and send it with a handmade note. I created seven like a newspaper. It's not a magazine or a book, so if people throw it away, it's fine. But at least I know that for a few seconds, they will have it in their hands, and there will be visibility. You have no idea how positive the feedback was. It was so successful, it's crazy. I got some jobs solely based on that, and I hadn't known the person or the brand before. 

Instagram is a fabulous communication tool for our jobs as agents and photographers. But to go back to a paper edition is also powerful. It's just about the right way to create things that reflect you. 

SB: So a good agent thinks laterally.

VA: You really have to step back and take charge of the context.

SB: What are your thoughts about changes coming in the future?

VA: I think photographers will become art directors. This will happen more and more. Art directors are already taking pictures. Roles have shifted, and it’s the same with our position as agents. I'm not sure it's going to last forever as it is now, because the younger generation don’t want to be represented anymore.

They are either burned out from a previous representation, or they feel they can negotiate themselves. More and more, brands ask for unrepresented photographers, because, of course, the agent is here to bring up the fee, reduce the shot count etc. So, for the brands, we are not seen as best of friends, but we could be, because we make communication easier. We answer when the photographer cannot, because they’re on set, etc.

Also, photographers are questioning the agency fee. I'm the first one to say 25% is a lot if you are only a booker, and just taking the commission. But it’s not a lot if you print a newsletter, go to meetings, think outside the box, travel all over Europe for meetings yourself and sit down every season for strategy. 

Although for me this is not a problem, if in future, the demand for representation keeps reducing, I don't think normal agents will exist anymore. Instead, they will function in a very specialised way for certain kinds of photographers and work.

SB: It is demanding to run a business. How do you let your hair down and take time out?

VA: I find a perfect balance by living half my time in the countryside. At the beginning, I thought: This is dangerous. I'm going to feel like I’m on holiday all the time and chill. But actually, I'm more productive, because when I come to Paris, I optimise the time and my mind is focused. Away from the city, it's really easy to focus back on yourself. Some people do yoga or pilates, but this is my solution.

In Paris, I always make time to see exhibitions. We work in that industry, but we don't always give ourselves permission to nourish ourselves. I speak to photographers, and do projects and estimates all day. Oh, my God! But I force myself to go to exhibitions, galleries, museums, and bookshops. In the end, it makes all the creative difference.

Follow Valentine @Art.19__