Alexandre de Metz embodies a new generation of cultural entrepreneurs who have successfully bridged the gap between artistic excellence and accessibility. As co-founder of YellowKorner, a company that has become a global reference in art photography distribution, he has spent nearly twenty years pursuing a singular ambition: taking photography out of closed circles and bringing it into the daily lives of the general public. His approach maintains uncompromising standards both in print quality, entrusted to art laboratories, and in artistic direction, where legendary figures of contemporary photography coexist with promising new talents.
A graduate of ESSEC business school, trained in economics but driven by culture, de Metz founded YellowKorner in 2006 alongside his partner Paul-Antoine Briat. What began as a bold gamble quickly became a phenomenon. Going against the grain of traditional galleries, they invented a new way of collecting: more direct, more sensitive, and freer. Today, YellowKorner operates in more than 130 galleries worldwide, from Paris to Shanghai, from New York to Dubai, continuing to affirm a cosmopolitan vision of photography at the intersection of luxury, vision, and visual storytelling.
But Alexandre de Metz cannot be reduced to his entrepreneurial success alone. He is an enlightened enthusiast, capable of citing Paolo Roversi as well as Sarah Moon, of being moved by a Robert Frank print or touched by Juliette Hanrot's "Madonna of Bentalha." He speaks about photography the way one speaks about music: with emotion, precision, and passion. What interests him is what disrupts, what stops you in your tracks, what moves you. Behind the entrepreneur hides an eye, and behind the eye, a sensitivity.
An tireless curious mind, he collects rare books, scours auction houses like one searches through a secret library, and confesses an old love for dark theaters, piano concerts, and the sad clowns photographed by Nadar. At the crossroads of market and intimacy, he embodies a unique way of being with images today—conscious of their power, but also of their fragility. A modern humanist, Alexandre de Metz believes that photography can change perceptions, reveal invisible truths, and awaken consciences. In a world saturated with images, he advocates for a more attentive, more demanding, more embodied gaze—a gaze that transcends time and says something about our era.
In an extensive interview by Carole Schmitz, de Metz reveals his personal relationship with photography through a series of revealing questions. His first photographic awakening came from "the smell of chemical baths in Ousson-sur-Loire" when he was about fifteen, developing his first silver prints in the family home's darkroom. When asked about the image or person who inspires him, he cites Clara Haskil, an exceptional pianist with "a destiny of immense fragility and rare intensity," noting that "everything with her is a question of nuances and controlled tension."
The image he would have liked to create is "undoubtedly one of the photographs from Richard Avedon's American West series." The one that moved him most recently was a portrait by Jane Evelyn Atwood of an incarcerated woman giving birth, lying on her bed—"a frontal image, defenseless, of overwhelming intensity." Surprisingly, the images that angered him were Sebastião Salgado's shots in the Serra Pelada mines, though he doesn't elaborate on the reasons for this reaction.
His childhood photographic memory involves "a stolen photograph taken with my first film camera, of a farmer and his cows in the early morning, in the Loire fog." The image that obsesses him is "one of the portraits of Natalia by Paolo Roversi." For the photograph that changed the world, he chooses Philippe Halsman's "Dali Atomicus," calling it "a technical and creative feat." More personally, the photograph that changed his world is his parents' wedding photo, "in black and white, with a row of altar boys—a suspended moment."
When it comes to acquisitions, if budget were no object, de Metz would dream of acquiring "probably an original print by Robert Frank from his series The Americans." He describes the book as "a visual and narrative slap in the face" that "says everything about the fragility, solitude, and beauty of the interstices of a country and an era." His philosophy on what makes a good photographer centers on the idea that "photographing is writing with light, so you must have the photo in mind before even triggering the shutter, while accepting that reality surpasses you and surprises you."
Regarding the secret of the perfect image, de Metz believes "it doesn't exist, but if it stops you, if it speaks to you in silence, then it is right." He quotes Avedon: "All photos are accurate, but none are true." If he could photograph anyone, he would choose "a jazz band in full action or seemingly ordinary families, as Tina Barney did." For photographers he'd like to be photographed by, he mentions Jamie Hawkesworth "for his ability to suspend time, to bring out grace in silences" or Elizaveta Porodina "for her limitless creativity."
His essential photography book is "Blue Note Photographs of Francis Wolff," describing it as "an entire era, a style, a way of listening with your eyes." His childhood camera was "a Rolleiflex 66 2.8 planar," which fascinated him because "you had to plunge your eyes into a luminous well and frame at waist level: a discreet and direct gaze." Today, he uses "an iPhone, like everyone else," but keeps his cameras "like talismans."
De Metz's "preferred drug" is "auction houses until midnight," where he hunts "rare books, invisible editions, like searching for treasures." His best way to disconnect is "a piano concert—the darkness of the hall and silence just before the first note already transport us." His relationship with images is nuanced: "The image is immediate. Photography is memory. The image tells a story. Photography touches. These are two different regimes of looking. Often, the image reassures and photography destabilizes."
When discussing photography's power to change collective perception, de Metz points to Juliette Hanrot's "Madonna of Bentalha," taken in 1997 in the suburbs of Algiers. The image shows "a woman holding her murdered child in her arms" and "transcends simple testimony to become an icon of civilian suffering and the horror of war." He believes it marked minds because "it crystallizes a mother's unspeakable pain, but also the absurdity of violence," transforming how people viewed the Algerian conflict from "not just a conflict but a universal human tragedy."
On social media's influence, de Metz sees Instagram as "a multiplied mirror: sometimes flattering, often distorting," but acknowledges it allows photography to "gain visibility and democratize." He advocates for "welcoming innovation while preserving photographic standards." He recommends following curation accounts like The Analog Club, where "each post is a gateway to a photographic universe."
For de Metz, a successful photo is simply "a photo that stops you. For a fraction of a second or a whole lifetime." He distinguishes between photography and art photography by explaining that "photography records, art photography interprets. One documents, the other transforms." The place he dreams of discovering is North Korea, which has "enormously touched me artistically and photographically," particularly through Philippe Chancel's work. His place of constant fascination is Vézelay, "a mysterious commune where spirituality is omnipresent. Everything becomes reflection and silence there."
His greatest regret is "not saying yes when I was offered to photograph James Brown—I didn't believe it at the time." While he has "deep respect for silver black and white," he believes "color—when well mastered—is a form of writing." He prefers natural light and considers New York "the most photogenic city." For his ideal dinner, he would want "my wife, if Vivian Maier would babysit my children—she was a nanny, by the way."
In a playful question about photographing God, de Metz responds that he would "ask Him to sign a contract to distribute it at YellowKorner." The image that represents the current state of the world for him is "a photo by Alex Webb: layers of life, gazes that ignore each other, a saturation of images, or a photo by Martin Parr." Finally, if he had to start over, he declares, "I wouldn't start over. I would continue. I believe in step-by-step construction. This is just the beginning."
The interview concludes with an editorial note from publication director Jean-Jacques Naudet, stating that while Carole Schmitz has complete editorial freedom for her questionnaires, their tone may sometimes reflect a different editorial line from L'Œil de la Photographie, noting specifically that the publication does not support YellowKorner's commercial approach.
