Jean Pigozzi has photographed celebrity life for over four decades and is well-known for series such as “Pigozzi & Co.,” started in the 1970s, which upended the typical role of the paparazzi by inserting the photographer alongside his subjects, including Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli and Mick Jagger. He has been deemed "an upscale Weegee" by Elton John (who has one of the top photography collections in the world) for his ability to place himself at the scene of the crime. Another reference is French photographer and painter Jacques-Henri Lartigue, who captured the leisure classes at play in the early 20th century. Pigozzi is renowned for his collection of contemporary African art, the world's largest.