Peter Lindbergh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Lindbergh
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Lindbergh in 2015
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| Born |
Peter Brodbeck
23 November 1944 Lissa (Leszno), German-occupied Poland
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| Died | 3 September 2019 (aged 74) Paris, France
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| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Spouse(s) | Astrid Lindbergh (div.) Petra Sedlaczek
(m. 2002) |
| Children | 4, including Simon |
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Peter Lindbergh (born Peter Brodbeck; 23 November 1944 – 3 September 2019) was a famous German fashion photographer and film director. He was known for his unique style, often using black and white photos. He helped shape the look of fashion photography for many years.
He studied art in Germany and showed his work even before he finished school. In 1971, he started focusing on photography. He worked for the well-known Stern magazine.
Lindbergh became famous for photographing top models like Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. He brought them together for a special British Vogue cover in 1990. This photo shoot helped start the era of the "supermodel." He also photographed the Pirelli Calendar three times. He created album covers for music stars like Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, and Beyoncé.
His photos have been shown in art galleries and museums around the world. Lindbergh loved black and white photography. He once said that photographers should help free people from the pressure to look young and perfect.
Contents
Early Life and Art Studies
Peter Lindbergh was born on November 23, 1944, in a place called Lissa (now Leszno) in Poland. He grew up in a German city called Duisburg.
As a teenager, he worked in department stores, arranging window displays. His childhood near the Dutch coast and the industrial look of Duisburg greatly influenced his later photography. In the early 1960s, he moved to Berlin to study art. He even hitchhiked to France to follow in the footsteps of his hero, the painter Vincent van Gogh. Lindbergh spent two years traveling through Spain and Morocco.
After his travels, he returned to Germany. He studied abstract art in Krefeld. Even before he graduated, his art was shown in a special gallery in 1969. In 1971, he moved to Düsseldorf and started working with a German photographer named Hans Lux. After two years, he opened his own photography studio in 1973. He quickly became well-known in Germany and joined the famous Stern magazine.
Amazing Photography Career
The Rise of Supermodels
In 1989, Peter Lindbergh took a photo that changed fashion history. He photographed five young models: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. They were not very famous yet. This photo was for the January 1990 cover of British Vogue magazine.
Many people say this photo shoot helped create the "supermodel" era. These models became huge stars. The photo even inspired singer George Michael to feature them in his music video for "Freedom! '90." Two years later, a famous fashion designer named Gianni Versace used the same group of models in his fashion show. By then, they were truly supermodels.
Lindbergh's first book of photos was called 10 Women, published in 1996. It sold over 100,000 copies! His first big collection of photos, Images of Women, came out in 1997. It showed many of his amazing portraits from the past ten years.
Pirelli Calendar and Vogue
Peter Lindbergh photographed the famous Pirelli Calendar twice, in 1996 and 2002. The 2002 calendar was special because it used actresses instead of models for the first time. He was the first photographer ever asked to shoot the Pirelli calendar a third time, for its 2017 edition.
He also worked on two full issues of Vogue magazine. He photographed the entire October 2009 issue of Vogue Germany and the December 2010 issue of Vogue Spain.
Lindbergh had a close friendship with fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa. They both loved the color black and believed in freedom in beauty. Their work together is shown in a book of photographs dedicated to Alaïa.
In 2015, a second book of his photos, Images of Women II: 2005-2014, was released. A journalist named Suzy Menkes wrote that Lindbergh's photos showed the true soul of people. In 2016, Lindbergh said that fashion photographers should show real people, not just perfect, retouched images.
Making Films
Peter Lindbergh also directed several films and documentaries.
In 1991, he directed Models, The Film. It starred the famous models Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Stephanie Seymour.
His film Inner Voices (1999) was a documentary about how actors express themselves. It won an award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2000.
In 2002, he made an experimental film about his friend, the dancer Pina Bausch, called Pina Bausch, Der Fensterputzer.
In 2008, Lindbergh and Holly Fisher directed Everywhere at Once. This film used his photos and parts of an older movie. It was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
A documentary about Lindbergh's life, Peter Lindbergh – Women's Stories, was released in 2019.
Music and Movie Work
Peter Lindbergh also worked on movie posters and music album covers.
In 1983, he photographed the poster for the movie The Hunger, which starred David Bowie. He also shot the album cover for the movie's music. In 2002, he made the poster for Pedro Almodóvar's movie Talk To Her.
He photographed many music album covers, including Tina Turner's Foreign Affair (1989) and Sheryl Crow's The Globe Sessions (1998). He also shot the cover for Beyoncé's album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008).
Personal Life and Legacy
Peter Lindbergh had four sons: Benjamin, Jérémy, Simon, and Joseph. He also had seven grandchildren. He passed away on September 3, 2019, in Paris, France, at the age of 74. Many famous people attended his funeral in Paris, including models, actors, and fashion figures.
Exhibitions of His Work
Peter Lindbergh's photographs have been shown in many important art exhibitions around the world:
- Models As Muse, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2009.
- On Street, C/O Berlin, 2010.
- The Unknown, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China, 2011. Over 70,000 people visited this show.
- The Unknown and Images of Women, Meštrović Pavilion HDLU Museum, Zagreb, 2014.
- Vogue Like a Painting, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, 2015. His photos were shown alongside other famous photographers.
- Gagosian Paris, 2014.
- Gagosian Athens, 2016.
- A Different Vision on Fashion Photography, Kunsthal in Rotterdam, 2016–2017. This was a very large show that included many unseen materials like notes and films. It traveled to other cities and was seen by over 400,000 people.
Films Directed by Lindbergh
- 1991: Models: the Film
- 1999: Inner Voices (a 30-minute documentary)
- 2001: Pina Bausch – Der Fensterputzer (a 30-minute film)
- 2008: Everywhere at Once (co-directed with Holly Fisher)
- 2019: Peter Lindbergh – Women's Stories (a documentary about his life)
Awards and Honors
- 1996: He received the Raymond Loewy Foundation Award.
- 2014: He was honored for his long work in raising awareness for AIDS at the annual amfAR New York Gala.
See also
In Spanish: Peter Lindbergh para niños
