Peter Lindbergh. Image credit: LVMH
Photographer Peter Lindbergh has died at the age of 74.
Mr. Lindbergh is credited with helping to launch the careers of 1990s supermodels, and was known for his black-and-white style. Throughout the course of his career, he worked with numerous luxury brands and magazines on advertising campaigns and cover shoots.
Photographic memories
Mr. Lindbergh passed away on Sept. 3. A statement on his official Instagram account from Sept. 4 says that the photographer is survived by his wife Petra, his first wife, four sons and seven grandchildren.
Born in Lissa, Germany in 1944, Mr. Lindbergh grew up in Duisburg. In the 1960s, he studied painting at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts and later the College of Art in Krefeld.
Mr. Lindbergh moved to Düsseldorf in 1971, and transitioned to photography. After assisting photographer Hans Lux for two years, he opened his own studio in 1973.
Following work for Germany’s Stern magazine, Mr. Lindbergh moved to Paris in 1978.
Mr. Lindbergh’s work is differentiated in its approach towards realism. He was against retouching, and preferred to shoot subjects with minimal makeup.
In 1988, the photographer shot Anna Wintour's first cover as editor in chief of Vogue, which showed a model wearing Christian Lacroix couture with Guess jeans paired with a candid expression. He went on to photograph the legendary 1990 British Vogue cover featuring Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Tatjana Patitz.
Peter Lindbergh's 1990 British Vogue cover. Image credit: British Vogue
This series of British Vogue photographs helped to catapult the careers of the women. George Michael cast the women in his “Freedom! '90” music video after seeing them in Vogue, turning them into supermodel celebrities.
More recently, Mr. Lindbergh has worked with brands ranging from Porsche and Pomellato to David Yurman and Dior.
Mr. Lindbergh also worked with British Vogue on its September 2019 issue cover, photographing the 15 “Forces of Change” picked out by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (see story).
In a statement, British Vogue editor in chief Edward Enninful said, "Peter Lindbergh was both a visionary photographer and a dear friend. His ability to see real beauty in people, and the world, was ceaseless, and will live on through the images he created. He will be missed by everyone who knew him, worked with him or loved one of his pictures."
On social media, tributes poured out from members of the fashion and luxury community.
Hugo Boss remembered Mr. Lindbergh as a “true visionary,” while Breitling called him a “true master of his craft.”
Instagram post from Breitling
LVMH called Mr. Lindbergh “one of the most inspiring and influential photographers of all time.”