Peter Lindbergh: The Photographer Of The Supermodels

Peter Lindbergh is a legendary photographer who photographed the supermodels of the nineties and helped propelled their fame. Rotterdam will show more than 220 of Lindbergh’s photographs in an exhibition starting in the Netherlands and set to tour the world, opening in September 10, 2016. He is known for photographing the top supermodels of the nineties, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista.

The exhibition will include previously unseen material from Lindbergh’s private collection such as personal notes, story boards, props, polaroids, contact sheets, films and monumental prints. There is also unseen behind the scenes films with Kate Moss. Also included are video interviews with Nicole Kidman, Cindy Crawford and Lara Stone.

Lindbergh’s black and white images capture and define beauty in the models he photographs. He is not interested in re-touching or air brushing his images; instead he finds a flawed image, a more human beauty, to be more interesting.

“A fashion photographer should contribute to defining the image of the contemporary woman or man in their time, to reflect a certain social or human reality. How surrealistic is today’s commercial agenda to retouch all signs of life and of experience, to retouch the very personal truth of the face itself?” said Lindbergh.
On a photoshoot with Lara Stone, someone commented that her nose looked red, however Lindbergh wasn’t complaining.

“She looks absolutely fantastic … raw, the same power as Kate [Moss]. But who cares if her nose is red? You don’t see the power and the poetry of not being perfect?” said Peter Lindbergh.

The industry is known for photo shopping images to make skin flawless and bodies thinner and blemish free. This is a practice that Lindbergh does not subscribe to.

“The cosmetic companies have everyone brainwashed, I don’t retouch anything. ‘Oh, but she looks tired!’ they say. So what if she looks tired? Tired and beautiful’” said Lindbergh.
Lindbergh’s photographs have influenced the course of Fashion photographer history. He creates timeless images of beauty and images of strong willed women.

“This exhibition is not a chronological survey, but a narrative in which you discover the universe of Peter Lindbergh through his unique eye, his strong themes and his collaborations with artists like Pina Bausch and Jenny Holzer, but also reveals the humanism found in his work, seen in a social context. It says a lot about his own values, his vision on ageism, beauty and femininity, on social issues and about the boundless creativity and imagination found in his photographs” said curator, Maxine Loriot.

His images bring out the authentic beauty of the women he photographs with little emphasis on their clothing.

“If you take out the fashion and the artifice, you can then see the real person” said Lindbergh.

One of Lindbergh’s famous photographs is Wild at Heart which features Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Tatjana Patitz and is the first time these models are gathered together. This image marked the beginning of the supermodels and redefined women in the modern age.

Lindberg has been influential in the course of fashion photography history. He was instrumental in launching the top models and his photographs captured and defined a real and powerful beauty that is celebrated in this exhibition.