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Image Gallery

Gallery: Paintings and Politics

published on 6 October 2016

Painting and Politics introduces projects by Nick Knight that challenge socially accepted ideas and the quintessential values of the notion of 'beauty'. Regarding fashion as an art form most deeply ingrained and most influential to everyday life, Nick Knight used his campaigns to deliver provocative messages upon social issues normally sidelined or seen as taboo, such as physical disability, discrimination, violence and death. Moreover, from the early nineties, a time when digital photo manipulation was still a rarity, he maximised the expressive potential of his images by working on the Quantel Paintbox* and other groundbreaking graphic devices at the time.

Editor's note on Skinned Monkey, 1997:

The ape photographed was from a zoo and died of natural causes, sourced through a taxidermist.

Painting and Politics introduces projects by Nick Knight that challenge socially accepted ideas and the quintessential values of the notion of 'beauty'. Regarding fashion as an art form most deeply ingrained and most influential to everyday life, Nick Knight used his campaigns to deliver provocative messages upon social issues normally sidelined or seen as taboo, such as physical disability, discrimination, violence and death. Moreover, from the early nineties, a time when digital photo manipulation was still a rarity, he maximised the expressive potential of his images by working on the Quantel Paintbox* and other groundbreaking graphic devices at the time.

Nick Knight, 'Aimee Mullins', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 31.33 inches), 1998, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Beasting, David Epstein wearing Stephen Jones headdress for John Galliano', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 50.27 inches), 2010, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Bed of Nails, Shirley Mallmann for Alexander McQueen', hand-coated pigment print, (40 x 87.87 inches), 1998, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Björk', hand-coated pigment print, (40 x 29.84 inches), 2016, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Blade of Light for Alexander McQueen', hand-coated pigment print, (43.07 x 104.72 inches), 2004, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Catherine Long', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 31.37 inches), 1998, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'David Toole', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 31.33 inches), 1998, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Debra Shaw for Alexander McQueen', hand-coated pigment print, (42.44 x 40.11 inches), 1997, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Devon Aoki for Alexander McQueen', hand-coated pigment print, (40 x 31.69 inches), 1997, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Ai Tominaga for Christian Dior haute couture', hand-coated pigment print, (40 x 25.39 inches), 2001, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Alek Wek for Christian Dior haute couture', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 34.13 inches), 2001, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Erin O'Connor for Christian Dior haute couture', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 31.81 inches), 2001, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Dolls I, Micky Hicks', hand-coated pigment print, (42.08 x 33.34 inches), 2001, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Emma Laird wearing Christian Dior Haute Couture', hand-coated pigment print, (30 x 41.25 inches), 2014, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Emma Laird wearing Shuttlecock Bonnet by Stephen Jones', hand-coated pigment print, (30 x 41.25 inches), 2014, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Karlie Kloss wearing Versace Haute Couture', hand-coated pigment print, (55.59 x 30.03 inches), 2012, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Mat Fraser', hand-coated pigment print, (29.21 x 39.96 inches), 1998, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Ming Xi wearing Chanel haute couture', hand-coated pigment print, (60 x 87.44 inches), 2011, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Naomi Campbell wearing Christian Lacroix', hand-coated pigment print, (57.79 x 86.18 inches), 2007, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Parasol, Shalom Harlow for Christian Dior', hand-coated pigment print, (43.03 x 62.99 inches), 1997, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Pink Powder, Lily Donaldson wearing John Galliano', hand-coated pigment print, (60.03 x 45.51 inches), 2008, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Red Green Paint Explosion', hand-coated pigment print, (44.33 x 40 inches), 2005, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Sans Couture, Elena Sudakova wearing Giambattista Valli', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 108.74 inches), 2014, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Shalom Harlow for Louis Vuitton I', hand-coated pigment print, (40.07 x 35.66 inches), 1996, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Shalom Harlow for Louis Vuitton II', vintage print c-print, (12 x 9.5 inches), 1996
Nick Knight, 'Shalom Harlow for Louis Vuitton III', vintage print c-print, (12 x 9.5 inches), 1996
Nick Knight, 'Shalom Harlow', vintage print c-print, (12 x 9.5 inches), 1996
Nick Knight, 'Sister Honey II', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 50.35 inches), 1999
Nick Knight, 'Sister Honey III', hand-coated pigment print, (59.56 x 76.37 inches), 1999, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Sister Honey I, Polly McIntosh', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 50.27 inches), 1999, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Skinned Monkey', hand-coated pigment print, (40.03 x 39.29 inches), 1997, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Snakes for Alexander McQueen', hand-coated pigment print, (83.46 x 43.77 inches), 2009, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Stella Lucia Deopito wearing Alexander McQueen', hand-coated pigment print, (40 x 31.69 inches), 2015, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'Pinned, Tessa Kuragi', hand-coated pigment print, (40 x 27.71 inches), 2015, printed 2016
Nick Knight, 'War', hand-coated pigment print, (43.03 x 96.65 inches), 1997, printed 2016
Photography:
Models:
David Epstein, Shirley Mallmann, Debra Shaw, Devon Aoki, Ai Tominaga, Alek Wek, Erin O'Connor, Emma Laird, Karlie Kloss, Ming Xi, Naomi Campbell, Shalom Harlow, Stella Lucia, Tessa Kuragi
Talent:
Björk, David Toole, Aimee Mullins, Catherine Long, Mat Fraser, Lily Donaldson, Elena Sudakova

Explore

Image Gallery

Gallery: Portraits

06 October 2016
Portraits presents a handful of Nick Knight's portraiture, many of which were commissioned by Terry Jones, editor of i-D magazine.
Interview

Interview: Robin Muir on Baron Adolph de Meyer

24 June 2016
Nick Knight and Robin Muir discuss 'Dolores and the Crystal Ball' by Baron Adolph de Meyer, May 1919, in the Vogue 100 exhibition.
Image Gallery

Gallery: Designer Monographs

06 October 2016
Designer Monographs highlights Nick Knight's long-term collaborations with remarkable fashion designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Martine Sitbon, and Jil Sander.
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