Herb Ritts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Herb Ritts
Born	Herbert Ritts Jr. (1952-08-13)August 13, 1952 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	December 26, 2002(2002-12-26) (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Bard College
Occupation	Photographer
Awards	GLAAD Media Awards Pioneer Award 2008

Herb Ritts Jr. (born August 13, 1952 – died December 26, 2002) was a famous American photographer and director. He was well-known for taking pictures of celebrities, models, and other important people in the 1980s and 1990s. Herb Ritts often took black and white photos and portraits. His pictures often looked like old Greek sculptures, showing off the human body's shape in a beautiful way.

Early Life and Education

Herb Ritts was born on August 13, 1952, in Brentwood, Los Angeles. His father, Herb Ritts Sr., designed furniture. His mother, Shirley Ritts, was an interior designer. Their family furniture business helped make rattan furniture popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

Herb grew up in a wealthy family. He and his three younger brothers and sisters lived next door to the actor Steve McQueen. Herb thought of Steve McQueen as "like a second father."

For his bar mitzvah, his father gave him a Kodak Brownie camera. He went to Palisades Charter High School. In 1972, he moved to New York to study at Bard College. He earned a degree in economics and also studied art history. After graduating in 1975, he moved back to California. He started working as a sales representative in his family's business.

Herb Ritts bought his first camera in 1976. It was a 35mm Miranda DX-3. He later said he was glad he didn't go to school for photography. He felt that learning on his own helped him develop his unique style.

Photography Career

While living in Los Angeles, Herb Ritts became very interested in photography. One day, he and his friend Richard Gere, who was an aspiring actor at the time, took some photos in front of an old car. These pictures helped Ritts get noticed, and he started taking photography more seriously.

He photographed Brooke Shields for the cover of Elle magazine in 1981. He also took pictures of Olivia Newton-John for her Physical album in 1981. Five years later, he photographed Madonna for her 1986 album True Blue, using a similar pose. That same year, he photographed Tina Turner for her album Break Every Rule.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Ritts photographed many celebrities in California. He also took fashion photos of famous models. These included Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford. One of his well-known photos is "Tatjana, Veiled Head, Tight View, Joshua Tree, 1988."

His work with these models helped start the "supermodel" era of the 1990s. One of his most famous pictures from this time is "Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989." This photo was taken for Rolling Stone magazine.

Herb Ritts also worked for many other popular magazines. These included Interview, Esquire, Mademoiselle, Glamour, GQ, Newsweek, Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone, Time, Vogue, Allure, Vanity Fair, Details, and Elle.

He took publicity photos for the movies Batman, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin. These photos appeared on magazine covers and merchandise throughout the 1990s. He also published books featuring his photography for various fashion designers.

From 1996 to 1997, Herb Ritts' work was shown at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. More than 250,000 people visited this exhibit. In 2003, a special exhibition of his work was held at the Daimaru Museum in Kyoto, Japan.

Music Videos Directed

Herb Ritts also directed several music videos for famous artists.

Later Life and Death

Herb Ritts passed away on December 26, 2002, in Los Angeles. He was 50 years old. He died from pneumonia, which is a serious lung infection.

Images for kids

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  A portrait of Herb Ritts.

See also

In Spanish: Herb Ritts para niños