Peter Linbergh
(1944 - )
Peter Lindbergh was born Peter Brodbeck, in Lissa, Germany on November 23, 1944. He studied fine art, specifically painting, at the art school Krefeld, in Berlin, Germany. His interest in photography arose in 1971, and he took a position assisting Hans Lux, a German advertising photographer. In 1973, Lindbergh began
to work independently as a commercial photographer.
In his early work Lindbergh shows the influence of black and white film. In 1978, when the magazine "Stern" published his great shot of fashion, he moved to the capital of the fashion industry – Paris, with his wife Astrid and her three children: Benjamin, Jeremy and Simon. Lindbergh quickly established himself as one of the most inventive fashion photographers of his generation.
Lindbergh concentrated in high-fashion, he photographed many top models such as: Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Isabella Rossellini, Nastassia Kinski and Tatiana Patitz. He also worked in advertising campaigns with Karl Lagerfeld, Daryl Hannah, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Isaac Mizrahi, Jil Sander, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey and others. Peter Lindbergh has photographed celebrities such as: Pamela Anderson, Antonio Banderas, Catherine Deneuve, Mick Jager, Madonna, Charlotte Rampling, Uma Thurman, Amber Valletta, and many others.
Lindbergh’s photographs have been published by major fashion magazines; Stern, Harper’s Bazaar, American, English, Italian and French Vogue, Marie-Claire, Allure, and Rolling Stone, as well as in various publications such as Esquire, Interview and The New Yorker. Under contract with Harper’s Bazaar, he worked with some of the biggest fashion houses, and has had several traveling exhibitions of his work, including the retrospective Images of Women, which traveled extensively through international museums. His publication, Untitled 116, features 116 portraits of women. In 1996, he also shot the prestigious Pirelli calendar and published his book Ten Women.
Peter Lindbergh’s creativity was not confined to photography, for he also took to directing television commercials and documentaries. Some of his most famous audio-visual works include his first documentary, "Models — the film", his commercials for Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani "Gio," "Champs-Elysees" for Guerlain; "No 4" for Jil Sander, "Tresor" for Lancome; and the 1996 music video with Tina Turner called "Missing You." In 1999, Lindbergh directed a thirty minute drama-documentary entitled 'Inner Voices' that was premiered in Milan, New York, the 2000 Locarno Film Festival and at the 2000 Edinburgh International Film.
As important as his models are for Lindbergh, the narratives and atmospheric qualities of his images always tell a story. His photography tends to awaken emotions and to achieve timelessness. Lindbergh is often inspired by the cinema; Fellini, Wim Wenders, Peter Handke, and the eternal feminine thirties.
In 1997, Lindbergh was honored with the Award for Best Photographer, The Fashion Awards, in Paris, France. Lindbergh has been also recognized with the IFTC Best Award, International Festival of Cinema, Toronto, 2002; Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, Paris, 2001; the Raymond Loewy Design Award, Berlin, 1995; the Honorary Member of the Year, Art Directors Club, Berlin, 1995; and the Award for Best Photographer, The Fashion Award, Paris, France 1994.
