Georges Poncet was born in 1951 in Lyon.
After studying thermodynamics (the studies of energies, their transformations, specially with heat) Georges Poncet studied photography, drawing and colour technique at l’École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse. When entering Sorbonne University, he discovers and immerses himself in the Contemporary Art of the 1970s. He also shoots his first performance shots.
This love for Contemporary Art is decisive in the beginning of his carrier. In the 1980s, he is a freelance photographer. He photographs works of contemporary artists, specifically works by Pierre Soulages, Anselm Kiefer… Each artists having its own unique sensibility, Georges Poncet works to capture every intensity, every complexity.
He collaborates with Parisian galleries, thus participating in their development. Also, he photographs many works within the Renault Collection that publishes books, editions and publications.
Besides his love for contemporary art, Georges Poncet is also passionate about Egyptian Antiquities and Arts. Since 1997, he works at the Louvre Museum photographing many mystical and complex artefacts in the museum collections, adapting to every specificity. His work is then published in the Louvre’s collection of catalogues.
Georges Poncet has made significant travels as well. In 2001, he photographs a Luxor tomb, as well as a facsimile in Brazil. The same year, he documents the archaeological excavations conducted by the Louvre on a Coptic site. During the archaeological discoveries, he captures the murals and frescoes dating from the beginning of Christianity.
His personal artistic work is linked to Art History. His two series Sfumato and Spiritus are reflections on the visible and matter. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s sfumato techniques, Georges Poncet allows viewers to feel, rather to see clearly. By capturing the essence of the outstanding works of art in his Sfumato series, and then the sites cherished by important artists, he questions the very essence of photography: to faithfully render what is captured or to faithfully render what makes the moment.