A Restoration Portrait

At the height of its power, 10,000 people lived in the sumptuous Palace of Versailles. Avant-garde filmmaker turned photographer Robert Polidori began photographing the 17th century chateau 25 years ago, as it underwent extensive restoration and his epic project has been collected in a new book from Steidl, Transitional States. Whether it’s Marie Antoinette’s exquisitely embroidered bed, or a painting of Louis XIV waiting to be hung against rich velvety wallpaper, his beautiful photographs peel back the layers of history, framing past with present and commenting on the notion of restoration.