The Victoria and Albert museum has launched the definitive retrospective exhibition of the work of Horst P. Horst (1906-1999) – one of the leading photographers of the 20th century.
In an illustrious career that lasted for more than 60 years, German-born Horst worked predominantly in Paris and New York, traversing the worlds of photography, art, fashion, design, theatre and high society.
Horst: Photographer of Style displays 250 photographs, alongside haute couture garments, magazines, film footage and ephemera. Highlights of the exhibition include photographs recently donated to the V&A by Gert Elfering, art collector and owner of the Horst Estate, previously unpublished vintage prints, and more than 90 Vogue covers by Horst.
Horst was admired for his dramatic lighting and became one of the first photographers to perfect the new colour techniques of the 1930s. A short film of him at work in the Vogue studios during the 1940s is shown with an introduction to his peers including Lee Miller, Cecil Beaton and Irving Penn.
One of Vogue’s star photographers, the exhibition presents Horst’s iconic fashion images and collaborations with leading designers, models, Hollywood stars and artists including Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich and Salvador Dali. The exhibition also reveals lesser-known aspects of Horst’s work, from nude studies and patterns from nature to travel photographs from the Middle East, his creative process and influences, and legacy as a master photographer.
Horst: Photographer of Style at the V&A until 4 January 2015. Travel partner American Airlines; with thanks to Bicester Village, London, and Kildare Village, Dublin; supported by the American Friends of the V&A.
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