The Arles Encounters is a major photography event held every summer in France. This year,exhibitions look more exciting than ever, so if you’re lucky enough to be around town, there’s at least one collection you can’t miss.

It’s called Total Records and it celebrates a 100 years of vinyl covers: Antoine de Beaupré and Serge Vincendet have gathered an impressive 600 covers, from Serge Gainsbourg to Björk’s, including the Beatles and Pink Floyd.

Amongst the authors of some of these masterpieces, we find Andy Warhol, David Bailey, Irving Penn and Richard Avedon – the latter is responsible for over 100 of them, although he doesn’t break the record of Jean-Baptiste Mondino, who has designed 350 cover illustrations.

A section titled “Abbey Road” unveils the cult photo session caried out for the Beatle’s album of the same title, featuring some of Paul McCartney’s deceased first wife Linda’s shots.

The exhibition goes across different moments of the 20th century through the covers which were shocking at their time and continue to amaze us today.

By Fanny Hubert – Konbini, 2015

 

 

Photos by Anne Fourès