The late Peter Lindberg was one of the most iconic photographers of the last 40 years; he passed away in September 2019, leaving a legacy that many will try to emulate.
Over the length of his long and illustrious career, Lindberg specialized in creating iconic photos for every major fashion magazine worldwide, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W Magazine, and Vanity Fair.
He photographed some of the world’s most beautiful and well-known faces, including Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Brad Pitt, to name a few.
PHOTO: Cate Blanchett by Peter Lindbergh
Born in occupied Poland in 1944 and raised in Germany, Lindberg’s Parents were in the medical profession. Beginning his career as a photographer’s assistant in Düsseldorf in 1968, Lindberg opened his own photography studio in 1973.
In 1978, Lindbergh visited New York City from Paris, where he began working for American Vogue. There, he met the late Anna Wintour, who would become one of his biggest supporters.
Lindberg’s most famous images are those black and white shots he took for British Vogue in January 1990. These feature supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Tatjana Patitz wearing a simple combination of tee shirts and jeans.
One of our favorite images is the close-up photo of Kate Moss he took in 1994, which was featured on the cover of British Vogue. In the picture, you can see her vulnerability and strength simultaneously. We love his portraits of Karen Mulder and Stephanie Seymour; they are so different but equally beautiful.
PHOTO: KATE MOSS by Peter Lindbergh
In addition to his work in fashion photography, Lindberg also directed several short films and documentaries. The movie ‘Models’capitalized on his runaway success, giving us candid behind-the-scenes insight into what goes on at a fashion shoot.
His documentary ‘Inner Voices’ won the Toronto International Film Festival Bes Documentary Award in 2000.
Today Lindberg is being honored for his exceptional work and talent at the Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach, Florida, by Nicola Erni and her personal view on high fashion. If you can’t visit Florida before the exhibition ends in 2023, don’t worry; there’s a retrospective on Netflix called ‘The Eye.‘
‘The Eye’ follows Lindbergh through his archives taking pictures of models in the streets of Paris in his renowned black-and-white style. He is interviewed about his professional history, giving insights into what inspires this creative genius.
Lindbergh was a true artist who saw the beauty in every woman he photographed. The fashion community will dearly miss him.
PHOTO: Peter Lindbergh