Turkish Mert Alas and Welsh Marcus Piggott met in 1994 and have been a fashion photography duo to be reckoned with. Known as Mert and Marcus, a new exhibition of their work is opening in London. They have worked together on many shoots and campaigns shooting celebrities such as Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Madonna, Cara Delevingne, Lara Stone, Miley Cyrus and Bjork.
Mert and Marcus are known for shooting Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell in the nude for the cover of Love Magazine. As well as shooting Kate Moss in a bunny suit for the cover of Playboy’s 60th Anniversary issue in 2014. They are also known for their vogue shoots.
“In recent years, we have seen a notable increase in recognition and demand for fashion photography, and this partnership allows us to present collectors with the first opportunity to acquire works by Mert and Marcus, two of the most influential artists working in this sphere” says Genevieve Janvrin, Head of Photographs for Europe at Phillips.
Their new exhibition is a collaboration with Art Partner, and is exploring the work of Mert and Marcus between 2001 and 2014. The exhibition will be held at auction house Phillips’ Mayfair HQ and will feature ad campaigns and fashion shoots. It will run from 24 October 2016 to 3 November 2016 in London. It will then travel to Paris where the exhibition will show at the Phillips gallery in Saint Germain in Paris from 9 to 16 November 2016, next to the international art fair Paris Photo.
It will have been 20 years that the pair have worked together. They have not revealed which photographs will appear in the exhibition, but it is rumoured that the photograph titled ‘Lips, 2006’ of Kate Moss will be included. There will be 18 works, nine in colour and nine in black and white. All of the photographs will be up for sale and pricing at around 16,000 pounds.
Mert and Marcus feature in FIB Fashion Industry Broadcast, Masters of Photography, Volume 10, Living Legends available at amazon.com