Fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh has passed away aged 74, a post on his official Instagram announced this morning. Lindbergh was highly regarded in the industry, largely for his work throughout the 1990s with supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.
Lindbergh had most recently shot a series of women including climate activist Greta Thunberg, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, for the September 2019 issue of British Vogue. The same issue is guest-edited by Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
Known for making a stand against retouching, he wrote in his photography book, published last year, he said:
It should be a duty for every photographer working today to use his creativity and influence to free women and everyone from the terror of youth and perfection.
Born in Poland back in 1944, he is survived by his wife Petra, his first wife Astrid, his four sons Benjamin, Jérémy, Simon, Joseph and seven grandchildren. He got his start in the world of photography after first purchasing a camera with the intention of photographing his brother’s children.
After moving to Paris to work for Vogue, he is often credited with “the rise of the supermodel,” due largely to his 1990 cover shoot for British Vogue, which featured Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford.
Lead image: The Peter Lindbergh exhibition, 2012. Taken by Filippo M. Fontana, licensed under Flickr CC.
He did not - they did it. Who will do your digital heritage?
Sad, sad news. An incredible photographer that played a defining role in a generation of fashion photography! RIP
An amazing photographer and the people he worked with seemed to love him. I started shooting in 1990 and he along with Patrick Demarchalier, Arthur Elgort and Gille Bensimon were great influences. His work will live on for a long time.
A real great photographer! Not one of those who became famous mainly because of his artistic and political connections.....
I'm no observer of fashion photography, but all I can say is... I had no idea!
I looked at a gallery of his photographs on a newspaper site today. I had no idea that "fashion" photography could be so raw, so powerful, and so moving. What a loss to the world.
Well, it's never too late to get educated: I'd better seek out more of his work.
What a loss. :( devastating news.
The best one has left
A real great photographer!