Photographer of Style

Horst P. Horst (1906–99) created images that transcend fashion and time. He was a master of light, composition and atmospheric illusion, who conjured a world of sensual sophistication. In an extraordinary sixty-year career, his photographs graced the pages of Vogue and House and Garden. He ranks alongside Irving Penn and Richard Avedon as one of the pre-eminent fashion and portrait photographers of the 20th century.

An international figure, Horst worked predominantly in Paris and New York. Born in Germany, he became an American citizen in 1943, changing his surname from Bohrmann to Horst. His extraordinary range of work outside the photographic studio conveys a relentless visual curiosity and life-long desire for new challenges.

The exhibition presents Horst’s iconic fashion images and collaborations with leading designers, models, Hollywood stars and artists including Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich and Salvador Dali. The show also explores less well-known aspects of Horst’s work from nude studies to travel photography, his creative process and influences, and legacy as a master photographer.

Accompanying Conference (at Victoria & Albert Museum), Fri 12 December 2014, 'Inventing Elegance – Fashion Photography 1910–1945'.

This one-day conference will explore photographers’ creative collaborations with artists, designers, models and directors, celebrating fashion photography during a period of dynamic invention and transformation.

More at Victoria & Albert Museum