Gong Li photographed by Brigitte Lacombe [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lacombe shot images on the set of the 1976 film All the President's Men, a political thriller that starred Hoffman and won four Academy Awards. Lacombe remained in Los Angeles after completing that assignment and Hoffman later helped her obtain a green card for the United States so that she could advance in her career.

Lacombe would then move to New York where she lived for 35 years.

"Everybody wanted to be in New York. They wanted to accomplish something. There was a lot of competition and people there had big ambitions and worked with great focus and discipline," recalls Lacombe of the unique charm of the city in the 1970s and 80s.

In the late 1970s, the photographer worked on the sets of movies directed by Hollywood heavyweights such as Martin Scorsese, David Mamet, Sam Mendes and Quentin Tarantino.

Karen Smith, the curator of the exhibition in Shanghai, says that Lacombe had managed to develop an "unusual proximity in the world of cinema", and this was evidenced by her exclusive working relationships with some directors.

For decades, Lacombe was the only photographer allowed on the sets of Scorsese's films. Some of her best work was produced on these sets too, having shot images from Taxi Driver, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street. Some of these photos are on display at the exhibition.

Some of Lacombe's most iconic pictures were taken during breaks in filming when the camera was not rolling; the surreal space between reality and make-believe where actors look to be in the midst of recovering their real identities.

Frank Rich of The New York Times once wrote about Lacombe's works, praising them for being able to walk the fine line between these boundaries.