Perfect 10

I recently had the immense pleasure of viewing the Peter Lindbergh exhibition entitled "On the Streets" at the C/O Berlin exhibition space. I have been an avid admirer of Lindbergh's photographic work for most of my adult life and to see examples of his work up close and on such a grand scale was a dream come true. Lindbergh's influence on shaping the supermodel phenomenon throughout the eighties and nineties can be witnessed in the pages of Paris, British and American Vogue, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar during that era. Polish-born Lindbergh spent his formative years in Duisberg Germany, before moving to Berlin to study design and painting, and to pursue a career in photography. Lindbergh is recognised as one of the most renowned fashion photographers worldwide and has worked for high profile clients including Prada, Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, Karl Lagerfeld, Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani. 

Lindbergh's unembellished black and white photographs of mostly female models, even when carefully staged, often lend the appearance of a snapshot or documentary style photo. Many of Lindbergh's images are constructed without the use of dominant backgrounds or outre styling, focusing rather on naturalism and a purist aesthetic. In doing so Lindbergh is very much a visual storyteller and a bearer of people's inner souls. Lindbergh's book entitled "10 Women", features supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Christy Turlington, Kristen McMenamy, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss and Amber Valletta in their most powerful and fragile, straight forward and playful, and emancipated and sensual states. Many of these images are iconic and continue to influence today's generation of photographers, stylists and models.

Linda Evangelista

Tatjana Patitz

Naomi Campbell

Kate Moss

Amber Valletta

Claudia Schiffer

Kristen McMenamy

Christy Turlington

Helena Christensen

Cindy Crawford
10 Women - Peter Lindbergh
Source - automne-roi20.livejournal.com

Iconic images

The late eighties and early nineties was the era of the supermodel. Models of the day were muses, and had long-standing collaborative relationships with photographers, designers, stylists, and hair and make-up artists alike. Photographers such as Francesco Scavullo, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Steven Meisel, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier and Arthur Elgort, created imagery which encapsulated the individual spirit and personalities of a select group of women. The career trajectories of Linda Evangelista, Stephanie Seymour, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer span over two decades, and indeed many continue to model to this day. The following iconic images are amongst my favourites.

Christy Turlington
Photographer - Herb Ritts
Source - Vogue Italia

Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford
Photographer - Peter Lindbergh
Source - British Vogue, January 1990

Stephanie Seymour, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz and Naomi Campbell
Photographer - Herb Ritts
Source -  Rolling Stone, May 1989

Stephanie Seymour
Photographer - Richard Avedon
Source - Woman in the Mirror by Richard Avedon

Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - US Vogue, September 1993

Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz, Helena Christensen, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Karen Mulder and Stephanie Seymour
Photographer - Peter Lindbergh
Source: US Vogue, September 1991

Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista
Photographer - Patrick Demarchelier
Source: British Vogue, May 1990