In memoriam: Peter Lindbergh (1944-2019)
The German fashion photographer who mastered monochrome, and refused to bow to a glossy form of perfection, has passed away aged 74
Touching tributes are flooding in for renowned German photographer Peter Lindbergh, who passed away on 3 September 2019. He was famed for celebrating the raw beauty of an untouched image over a 50 year career that spanned the silver screen, museum exhibitions, and magazine covers.
Born in German-occupied Poland in November 1944, Lindbergh grew up in Duisburg, West Germany; the vast beaches and the industrial settings of which are thought to have inspired his oeuvre. He studied at Berlin Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1960s, where he is known to have hitchhiked to Arles in the footsteps of his idol, Vincent van Gogh. He eventually went on to study abstract art at the College of Art in Krefeld, where he drew influence from the conceptual art movement, and presented his first exhibition at the avant-garde Galerie Denise René gallery. Moving to Düsseldorf in 1971, he eventually opened his own studio in 1973. Natively well known, he joined Stern magazine in 1973 – the same year as photographer Helmut Newton.
Lindbergh drew inspiration from a diverse pool of street photographers, photojournalists, and documentary filmmakers (think, Dorothea Lange and Henri Cartier-Bresson), and became known for injecting humanism and realism into fashion photography. His most famed images (which have reached iconic status) are his signature black and white photographs of 1990s supermodels, like Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington Burns and Linda Evangelista. The latter led tributes on Instagram by captioning an archival photograph: ‘Heartbroken. R.I.P. my Peet’. Elsewhere on the platform, actress Charlize Theron referenced the photographer’s ‘consistent kindness, warmth, and incredible sense of humour’, for which he was renowned industry-wide.
Referencing the diversity of his practise, Lindbergh joined forces with titan of 20th-century sculpture Alberto Giacometti in 2017. Through his lens, Giacometti’s works appear scarred, brutalised, yet alive, with what the photographer called at the time their ‘perfect imperfections’. It’s a collection of photographs that typified Lindbergh’s approach, where the action in front and behind the camera was an intimate duet. ‘A photograph has nothing to do with the person you are photographing,’ Lindbergh told Wallpaper* in 2017. ‘It has to do with what comes out of the person when you’re with them, and what you can give them.’
Lindbergh is survived by his wife Petra, his first wife Astrid, his four sons Benjamin, Jérémy, Simon, Joseph and seven grandchildren.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.
-
Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Explore 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the interiors Estrid Ericson has crafted
‘A Philosophy of Home’ explores 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the daring vision for interiors its founder Estrid Ericson developed
By Diana Budds Published
-
Remembering Bill Viola (1951-2024), the video artist asking the big questions
American artist Bill Viola has died aged 73 in California
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Remembering Richard Serra (1938-2024), American art’s man of steel
American artist Richard Serra, whose vast sculptures transformed landscapes around the world, has died aged 85
By Hannah Silver Published
-
In memoriam: photographer Brian Griffin (1948 – 2024)
Remembering British photographer Brian Griffin, we look back on his playful shoot for Wallpaper* May 2018
By Hannah Silver Published
-
In memoriam: Joe Tilson (1928 – 2023)
We remember British artist Joe Tilson, who brought a joyful riot of colour to the Pop Art scene
By Hannah Silver Published
-
In memoriam: Sex Pistols album artist Jamie Reid (1947 – 2023)
Jamie Reid was best known for his bold album artwork for the Sex Pistols
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Remembering Phyllida Barlow (1944 – 2023): a titanic force of British sculpture
We look back on the life and work of Phyllida Barlow, revered British sculptor, educator and Hauser & Wirth artist who has passed away aged 78
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Remembering New York artist Daniel Brush, 1947 – 2022
In tribute to Daniel Brush, who has died aged 75, we revisit this 2020 Wallpaper* profile of the elusive New York artist by jewellery historian Vivienne Becker, who unravelled the secrets of his singular designs for her book, ‘Daniel Brush: Jewels Sculpture’
By Vivienne Becker Published
-
Remembering artist Ashley Bickerton (1959 – 2022)
Ashley Bickerton, known for his subversive, conceptual takes on consumerism, has died aged 63. We explore his life, work, and extraordinary studio, photographed in 2017 when Wallpaper* US director Michael Reynolds and Stephen Kent Johnson visited the artist
By Martha Elliott Last updated