The Fine Art of Fashion PhotographyBy Rip Bains

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Peter Lindbergh’s Influence in the Art

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✤ According to an article in the New York Times, the world of art is growing closer with the world of fashion. !

✤ The Gagosian Gallery in Paris is currently showing the photographic work of Peter Lindbergh, who helped to created the concept we now call ‘the supermodel’ with his pictures of Linda Evagelista and other models.

Peter Lindbergh and Fashion in Art

✤ Three decades ago, when Lindbergh was rising to fame, and he and other like-minded photographers were creating the supermodel, the commercial image creation of the fashion world was met with disdain from the art world.!

✤ Today, photographers like Lindbergh are being celebrated. Lindbergh himself said that, “Fashion photographers are the new painters.”

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Fashion in Art Galleries

✤ Many notable galleries are turning their attentions toward fashion photography, which has a built in following that can draw crowds to exhibitions. !

✤ The Sims Reed Gallery in London has begun exhibiting the work of Miles Aldridge’s collection of images of sunbathing women called “Tan Line.”!

✤ Even large museums are paying attention to fashion photography with Mario Testino’s “Alta Moda” on display at Dallas Contemporary from Sept. 21, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London’s spotlight on the work of the late Horst P. Horst. !

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Economics in Fashion Photography

There are economic and aesthetic reasons for fashion photography’s recent celebration to the the art world, and the two have similar roots.!

On the economic side, that built in audience for fashion photography attracts revenue through sponsorships rentals and merchandise, as well bringing in new collectors.

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Aesthetics in Fashion Photography

✤ On the aesthetic side, Mark McKenna, executive director of the Herb Ritts Foundation, says that he believes the 2008 economic downturn created a yearning for images of glamour and beauty of type exemplified by the work of people like Peter Lindbergh. !

✤ McKenna points to the fact that the prices for Herb Ritts’ work have doubled in the time since the time of the great recession as evidence of the trend.

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The Way Our Culture Embraces Images

✤ With visual media outlets like Instagram and Pinterest on the rise, the public has an increased awareness about how people look which, in turn, has its roots in fashion photography. !

✤ Elizabeth Broun, director at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington alludes to this trend, saying, “We are much more accepting of fashion photography because we have moved from high art to an all-embracing visual culture.”

Read more at The New York Times !

Thank you for watching! – Rip Bains