"She shows beauty where beauty can be terribly absent' Karl Lagerfeld

The romantic decadence of Paris nightlife in the 1920s and 30s (eternalized most famously by the photographs of Brassai) comes to life afresh in this series of sensuous photos shot on location in former bordellos where the lavish decors have survived intact.

Vee Speers, an Australian artist who has lived in Paris for more than 20 years, has created edgy photos that play with seduction, sensuality and femininity.

The photographs have been printed using a hand-rendered Fresson charcoal process which gives a more authentic, painterly quality to the images.

Vee Speers was born in Australia and has lived in Paris since 1990. Her timeless portraits, including 'The Birthday Party', have been exhibited and published worldwide and are part of many private and museum collections including the Elton John Collection, Michael Wilson Collection, DZ Bank, Museum 21C Kentucky, George Eastman House, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Clerici Collection Italy. Speers has published two books: Bordello with a foreword by Karl Lagerfeld (Ear Books, 2005), and The Birthday Party (Dewi Lewis, 2008).