Pierre APERS was photographer and painter, operated in Paris in the 1920's & 1930's. He specialised in photographic portraiture of local Theatre & Movie Stars of France. Pierre Joseph APERS was born on November 23, 1886 in Plaine (Bas-Rhin, France). In the 1930s he lived at 116 rue de Renne in Paris. The APERS' Studio was located in Paris, 23 rue du Boissy-d’Anglas (8th arrondissement). From the beginning of the 1920s, he collaborated with the Gazette Musicale for which he produced portraits of composers and singers for the covers or illustrations of articles, such as the opera singer Madeleine MATHIEU or the pianist Mademoiselle Tatiana de SANZÉWITCH. He also works with the music publishing house Ricordi for which he creates sheet music covers. He signed (often on the negative) the portraits of celebrities of the time, such as the composer Gustave CHARPENTIER, the pianist Lucie CAFFARET or the actress and music hall singer MISTINGUETT. These creations contribute to the establishment of a model of photographic portraits which was born in the 1930s. The shots are taken in the camera. The lighting, inherited from set photographs, highlights the sculptural aspect of the figures and focuses attention on the expression as well as the look of the model. The photographs are systematically retouched in order to accentuate the light contrasts while homogenizing the texture of the skin. In 1933, Pierre APERS was president of Chambre syndicale française de la photographie et de ses applications, a professional group which defended the artistic status of the medium at the time. Some of his work is housed in the Bibliotech Francais in Paris.