Anton Corbijn's Dream-like Photographs Feature In Exhibition

published on 28 January 2022

Anton Corbijn's style has irrevocably changed the nature of photography. All too familiar with grainy black and white images that the media have popularised? That wasn't always the norm; you have Anton Corbijn to thank. Rare, romantic and haze-like, some of the photographer's best images can now be seen in real life in an exclusive exhibition organised by art dealer Simon de Pury.

Anton Corbijn's style has irrevocably changed the nature of photography. All too familiar with grainy black and white images that the media have popularised? That wasn't always the norm; you have Anton Corbijn to thank. Rare, romantic and haze-like, some of the photographer's best images can now be seen in real life in an exclusive exhibition organised by art dealer Simon de Pury.

What do David Bowie, Naomi Campbell and Rick Owens all have in common? An interest in fashion may be one, but they're all also the subjects of a new exhibition courtesy of Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn. Organised by art dealer Simon de Pury, the new exhibition showcases a variety of rarely seen photographs by the eminent artist and comes as the latest instalment of the exhibition series de PURY Presents... involving collaborations with international artists to stage exhibitions from their own studios.

Although you may not be familiar with his name, his style is as popular as the people he photographs and is distinctly Corbijn. Speaking of why he chose to feature Corbijn as part of the de PURY exhibition series, de Pury commented 'Whenever, years back, I was looking at a striking photograph in Rolling Stone, NME (New Musical Express) or any other musical publication, I would check the photographer, and it was invariably Anton Corbijn.' By religiously choosing to shoot with a slow shutter speed, Corbijn captures gestures and movements that many skilled photographers miss, creating deeply evocative, ever-so-slightly romantic black and white portraits of cultural icons with notable figures in his portfolio, including Kate Moss, Virgil Abloh, Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter, and Christy Turlington.

David Bowie as 'The Elephant Man', Chicago, 1980. © Anton Corbijn

Commenting on Corbijn's quiet success, de Pury also went on to state: 'This current exhibition consists of some of my absolute favourite photographs he has made. If the fashion world was the stepping-stone for Helmut Newton, it is the music world that was the stepping-stone for Anton Corbijn. Like Newton, Corbijn quickly outgrew his starting block and has become hugely influential across contemporary culture.'

de PURY Presents: Anton Corbijn will be available to view from 24th January at The Hague, by appointment only, and online at de-Pury.com.

Naomi Campbell, London, 1994. © Anton Corbijn

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