With just over a week left for the exhibition at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, a date with the model-turned-photographer’s iconic ladies should be top of your to-do list this weekend, writes Susanne Hauner.

Bitch! Paris 2007 © Ellen von Unwerth courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery

‘It’s good to shock a little. It’s not good to always be careful,’ Ellen von Unwerth says about the photos in her exhibition Fräulein. But she could as well be talking about her subjects. Whether her models pose boldly amidst warm, vibrant scenes or are captured in black-and-white snapshots with just a hint of voyeurism, von Unwerth’s images all speak with one voice: The women portrayed are having fun; they embrace their sexuality and use it. Although von Unwerth’s work is charged with femininity and erotic intrigue, her subjects never seem objectified – rather, they take control of the picture.

To coincide with the release of the limited edition monograph Fräulein on 25 November, Michael Hoppen is housing a collection of von Unwerth’s personal favourites and never previously seen images from the last 15 years. Famous faces among the 39 prints exhibited include Liz Hurley, Dita von Teese, Raquel Welch, Christina Aguilera and Drew Barrymore.

A supermodel for ten years before she moved behind the lens, Ellen von Unwerth is known for her playful and sassy images and her extensive work with female icons in fashion, film and music.

The exhibition runs until 21 November. Visit www.michaelhoppengallery.com for more information.