Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/384868
Clockwise from top: Muriel Maxwell, American Vogue cover, July 1939; Round the Clock, New York, 1987; Dinner Suit and Headdress by Schiaparelli, 1947. ailed as "photography's alchemist," the late Horst P Horst is known for taking some of the most iconic fashion images of the 20th century and for his portraits of glamorous Hollywood figures such as Rita Hayworth, Vivien Leigh and Marlene Dietrich. But there's more to the German photographer than pretty frocks and famous faces. "Horst: Photographer of Style" opened in September at London's Victoria and Albert Museum and is the largest retrospective to date of the photographer's work. The exhibition spans his entire 60-year career, from his early images documenting the glittering world of haute couture in pre-World War II Paris and his collaboration with surrealist artist Salvador Dalí to his images of some of the world's most impressive homes that were featured in Home and Garden and Vogue in the 1960s and '70s and his exquisitely produced platinum prints of the '80s and early '90s. "I was very keen to tell the whole story of his work," says curator Susanna Brown. "I spent several weeks looking through his complete personal archives and prints at the Vogue and Condé Nast archives in New York and Paris and talking to a lot of the people who he worked with to try to build up a picture of not just the photographer but of the man himself." Brown selected 250 photographs, including previously unpublished prints and rare color fashion images. "Horst was one of the first fashion photographers to really embrace color when new camera technologies were launched in the latter part of the 1930s," says Brown. "So we're also exploring his color work, which is, in comparison to the classic black and white, quite little known." The exhibition also showcases more than 90 Vogue covers and film footage of the lensman at work inside the Condé Nast studios in 1946 that gives valuable insight into the process of creating a Horst image. There are also personal relics such as sketchbooks, contact sheets, diaries and even some of his cameras. "For me, it was quite important to create a space that felt atmospheric," explains Brown. "The first room of the exhibition is all black and white. You walk in and you feel transported to the glamorous world of Paris in the early 1930s." The first gallery features vintage gelatin silver prints, highlighting Horst's mastery of light and deep shadows. Images of his first muses, including Lisa Fonssagrives and Lyla Zelensky, are displayed alongside gowns in shades of black, white, gold and silver from couturiers such as Chanel, Lanvin, Schiaparelli and Vionnet. But the retrospective is not solely focused on fashion. Horst was an adventurous traveler and spent the '40s and '50s visiting the Middle East, which revealed his interest in landscapes, architecture and ancient cultures. He also produced incredible documentary images of the Qashqai tribesmen with whom he traveled across Iran during their annual migration. The show also celebrates lesser-known works such as male nudes from the 1950s and a project that examines patterns created from natural forms. "Horst: Photographer of Style" is on view through January 4, 2015, at the V & A Museum, London "Horst was one of the first to really embrace color in the 1930s." —Susanna Brown, curator H © CONDÉ NAST / HORST ESTATE 50 BAL HARBOUR