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. Most recently, Paulette partnered with Gucci on their “Alchemist’s Garden” fragrance collection.
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.
