One of the most gifted photographers of the late-20th century, Herb Ritts had a discerning eye for both male and female sensuality. Brilliant behind the camera — be it with moving imagery or still — Ritts was a master of capturing physical form on film. His striking photographs of such legendary actors and supermodels as Richard Gere, Nicole Kidman, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell stop you dead in your tracks, while his music videos for Janet Jackson, Chris Isaak, Madonna, and Michael Jackson made MTV a destination for style and glamour in the ’90s.
What do Michael Jackson, Courtney Love, and Kanye West have in common? Other than being notorious for what they did or didn’t do, the photographer David LaChapelle, of course. Renowned for his outrageous fashion photos and editorial portraits for magazines, videos for pop and rock stars, and crunk-dance-film Rize, LaChapelle is a top-billing commercial photographer who’s rapidly gaining credibility in the art world. LaChapelle’s latest works, which are both big productions and labors of love, show Michael Jackson as a martyr, Pope Benedict XVI as a greedy ruler with a bevy of bound teenage boys at his feet, and an exposed Naomi Campbell in the role of Botticelli’s Venus are on view in the final days of a solo show at New York’s Paul Kasmin Gallery.
Art Basel Miami Beach week started this year with yesterday’s Design Miami opening. Swiss Messe, ABMB’s parent company, is part owner of DM and decided to let the little sister bow first. It made for a lively day at the fair, however some of the celebrities that fly into town just in time for the ABMB opening seemed to be missing. The only star spotting at DM — other than the band OK Go, which was performing at the fair — was Naomi Campbell, although we later crossed paths with Pharrell Williams at the opening for Friends With You’s new shop in the Miami Design District.
David LaChapelle, one of the most well-known (and controversial) photographers working today, recently retired from a publishing career spanning more than 20 years to focus full-time on his personal fine art. His much-anticipated new work, The Rape of Africa, a year-long labor of passion and persistence, casts a regal Naomi Campbell in the role of Venus from the Botticelli masterpiece Venus and Mars. It’s a monumental tableaux that seduces viewers with sexy bling, only to shock them with the environmental devastation and violent conflicts that pervade African mining. Read More »
Over the weekend Flavorpill took a trip to the Met to check out the much-hyped The Model as Muse exhibit currently on view, which is being sponsored by Marc Jacobs in partnership with Conde Nast. The show is a tribute not just to iconic fashion photography, which has made the glossy magazines of today the titans they have become, but also the models who inspired these images. From the timeless elegance of Richard Avedon’s editorial work with Dorian Leigh, to the almost mythical “Trinity” of Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, the influence of the supermodel as a source of inspiration is doubtless. What IS open to speculation is the manner in which the Costume Institute chose to curate the show. Our full review, after the jump.
Because we can’t all escape from our desks to enjoy 72 degree weather and international contemporary art, Flavorpill’s resident guru Paul Laster will be bringing you daily bold-name littered updates and photos from Art Basel Miami all week. Enjoy!
Miami Basel’s six days of art and design events officially kicked off with Design Miami, housed in a stunning new pavilion, designed by Aranda/Lasch. First on the agenda was lunch with Design Miami’s 2008 Designer of the Year, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Miami Design District guru Craig Robins, and HSBC Private Bank execs in the VIP lounge, which the Campana Brothers sensuously constructed from raffia, freshly transported from their native Brazil.
