If you suffer from coulrophobia - a fear of clowns - then look away now.

Photographer Eolo Perfido, 43, from Cognac in France, has taken incredible photographs of retired clowns that he met while travelling across Europe for a collection he calls 'Clownville'.

The scary shots from the Rome-based cameraman feature an aged smoking performer, a sinister smiling showman and even a clown version of Adolf Hitler.

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Photographer Eolo Perfido, 43, from Cognac in France, has taken incredible photographs of retired clowns that he met while travelling across Europe for a collection he calls 'Clownville'

Perfido aimed to show that the clown's world is a 'metaphor for society' where social media and the entertainment industry dominate

The Clownville series has been exhibited as far away as Recife in Brazil

Perfido, who has been shooting since he was 15 years old, insists he is not scared of clowns and instead admires the performers

The photographer has been handed international acclaim for the shots

Perfido, who has been shooting since he was 15 years old, insists he is not scared of clowns and instead admires the performers.

He said: 'I've been always interested in clowns and by any performing art form that uses artists' bodies to exaggerate emotional truths that could not be conveyed through speech.

'It's inspired by actors like Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, by many movies, novels and comics - as you can imagine, I've a huge collection of clown-related contents.

'So it was natural at a certain point of my career to imagine a personal project dedicated to the clowns.'

Perfido says that his clown photographs always get a mixed reaction

Snap happy: Perfido has received international acclaim for the shots

Perfido says that he's always been 'interested in clowns and by any performing art form that uses artists' bodies to exaggerate emotional truths'

Photographer Perfido admits that some people find his clown images 'too strong or disturbing'

Perfido aimed to show that the clown's world is a 'metaphor for society' where social media and the entertainment industry dominate.

The photographer has been handed international acclaim for the shots just four years after Italian magazine L'Expresso chose him as one of nine creatives to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy through photo.

The Clownville series has been exhibited as far away as Recife in Brazil where Eolo hosted a solo show at the Galleria Janet Coast for the International Circus Festival.

Perfido said: 'Clownville is an imaginary place - a land where everybody is a clown.

'It's like a metaphor of our own society: an inter-connected world in which everybody wants to entertain and be entertained, behind which great sadness and loneliness are hidden.

'We always receive mixed reactions. From people that loves them to people that finds them too strong or disturbing.

'We are very happy about the series' responses.'

Perfido said 'Clownville is an imaginary place - a land where everybody is a clown'

Perfido was chosen by Italian magazine L'Expresso to be one of nine creatives tasked with celebrating to the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy through photo

Actors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were huge influences on Perfido

Perfido admits that he has a huge amount clown-related material in his personal collection