By Natalie White

"Beauty is a short-lived tyranny" - Socrates

212GALLERY has announced that it will be hosting a solo exhibition by Russell James, whose images of the world's most beautiful women have graced countless magazine covers and made him one of the fashion industry's most sought-after photographers.

The works on view are culled from various shoots, commercial assignments in exotic locations – Grenada, Tulum, Turks & Caicos, Saint Tropez, Virgin Gorda and Sardinia among them – during which James stole moments with his subjects to capture their beauty in isolation, resulting in images as poetic in their intimacy as they are powerful in their seduction.

These works depict contemporary culture's most iconic beauties: literal embodiments of our society's current physical ideal.

From classical nudes and portraits to back-stage candids, James' photographs recall the elegance of Irving Penn and the strength of Helmut Newton, but with an air of playfulness that is very much his own.

Although Socrates described beauty as a "short-lived tyranny," James' pictures eternalize the beauty specific to our time, a reflection of our own desires, dreams and joy.

Russell James' work has appeared in leading publications such as Vogue, W, American and French Photo, Sports Illustrated, and his photographs have been published in ten fine art anthologies and two monographs, including 'Russell James' (2009, teNeues Publications).

In August 2007, Russell was awarded the Hasselblad Masters Award. The artist currently lives and works in New York.

For more information, go to //www.212gallery.com/russellJames/