His representative informed The New York Times on Sunday that the multifaceted French artist Just Jaeckin passed dead on September 6 from cancer at the age of 82.
With images appearing in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and Vogue as well as his 1974 breakthrough film, the softcore drama Emmanuelle, Jaeckin gained recognition for his artistic range.
In the 1960s, Jaeckin was able to establish a reputation as a celebrity photographer by capturing black-and-white images of people like Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Jane Birkin, and Serge Gainsbourg.
In his debut movie, Emmanuelle, a young woman travelled to Bangkok to explore her sexual hunger. It was a runaway success that spawned numerous sequels, grossing approximately $9 million ($53 million in today’s values) in ticket sales in the United States alone. Although it was and continues to be controversial for its portrayal of women, it was a success overseas, notably in Germany, Spain, and Japan. It was Columbia Pictures’ first X-rated film.
Before switching back to a life of photography and sculpture, Jaeckin would go on to make seven more movies, including The Story of O, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and The Perils of Gwendoline.
Julia Jaeckin, his daughter, and his wife Anne Jaeckin continue to live.
