CONDITION USED GOOD, TAHITI TATTOOS , GIAN PAOLO BARBIERI , MICHEL TOURNIER, 1998

When the French edition of Vogue sent celebrated photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri to Tahiti, he discovered not just an island, but a long-imagined paradise from his childhood dreams. Influenced by Gauguin’s art and writings, Barbieri found in Polynesia a living language expressed through tattoos — an ancient art form once nearing extinction. Guided by local expert Raymond Graffe, he explored this symbolic “language of the skin,” capturing its profound cultural and spiritual meanings.

With an insightful introduction by Michel Tournier, Tahiti Tattoos contrasts the Western and Polynesian conceptions of body art. Barbieri’s evocative black-and-white photographs reveal the timeless sensuality, mystery, and dignity of Tahiti’s people and traditions — a rediscovery of paradise through the lens of one of the world’s foremost fashion photographers.