The Fashion world was thrown into mourning following the
announcement of the death of the revolutionary fashion photographer Peter
Lindbergh on September, 3 aged 74 in Paris.
Breaking the news on Lindbergh’s official Instagram account,
the statement read:
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of
Peter Lindbergh on September 3rd 2019, at the age of 74. He is
survived by his wife Petra, his first wife Astrid, his four sons Benjamin,
Jeremy, Simon, Joseph and seven grandchildren. He leaves a big void.”
Lindbergh’s early days
Born in November 1944, in the town of Leszno which is now a
part of Poland. His family fled to Duisburg in Germany where he grew up.
According to his website, he studied at the Berlin’s Academy
of Fine Arts in the 60’s, then worked with German photographer Hans Lux for two
years before moving on to open his own studio in 1973.
In 1978, he moved to Paris to further his career where he
landed the opportunity to work with major magazines including Vanity, Harper’s
Bazaar, Vogue, Fair and The New Yorker.
The beginning of the supermodel era
Lindbergh is believed by many to be the father of the
supermodel era. He singlehandedly through his works upturned the glossy
standards of fashion photography.
In 1988, Lindbergh shoot a series of portraits with
relatively unknown models all dressed in white on a beach in Malibu. Departing
from the big-makeup, big-hair style that were the trend then, he made all his
models wear their natural looks.
The five models featured in the shoot would go on to become
the biggest recognizable names and faces in the industry: Naomi Campbell, Linda
Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz, and Christy Turlington.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian in
2016, Lindbergh had this to say about playing a pivotal role in making
celebrity supermodels a thing.
“I never had the idea that this was history. Never for one
second… I didn’t do anything, a bit of light. It came together very naturally,
effortless; you never felt you were changing the world. It was all intuition.”
Tributes from celebrities on twitter
Charlize Theron @CharlizeAfrica:
“My heart is broken. Peter Lindbergh was a genius and an absolute master of his craft. Beyond that, what made him truly one of a kind was his consistent kindness, warmth, and incredible sense of humor. One of the best human beings I have ever met. I will never forget my friend.”
Rihanna @rihanna tweeted this:
“I still can’t believe this. We lost a legend today man! #ripPeterLindbergh
Even the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was not left out.
Sharing her condolences on her official Instagram page:
“Honouring the life and work of photographer Peter Lindbergh. His work is revered globally for capturing the essence of a subject and promoting healthy ideals of beauty, eschewing photoshopping, and preferring natural beauty with minimal makeup.
The Duchess of Sussex had worked with Peter in the past and
personally chose him to shoot the 15 women on the cover for the September issue
of British Vogue, which she guest edited. There is no other photographer she
considered to bring this meaningful project to life.
*’Forces for Change’ was the one of the esteemed photographer’s final published projects. He will be deeply missed.”
