herb ritts is considered one of the leading photographers and commercial directors in the world today............................................................................
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herb ritts on show
november 22, 2000 - february 15, 2001 palazzo delle esposizioni, rome february 28 - april 1, 2001 galleria carla sozzani, milan --- the 94 photographs by herb ritts presented at the fondation cartier in 1999 for his first retrospective in france are currently being shown at the palazzo delle esposizioni in rome. the exhibition will move to the galleria carla sozzani in milan at the end of february 2001. curated by hervé chandès (fondation cartier). herb ritts is considered one of the leading photographers and commercial directors in the world today. he began taking pictures in 1980 and has gained a world renowned reputation as a major fashion / personality and fine arts photographer. he was influenced by the most important portrait-photographers of the past (man ray and august sander), by the pioneers of the 'new vision' (alexander rodchenko and martin munkacsi) and the great fashion photographers (from bruce weber to helmut newton), but the style of herb ritts emerges with greater force in his more personal research based on his fears and fantasies, personal and collective obsessions. herb ritts' work reveals a masked fascination- taken from the surrealism - which is always present in his work. the breadth of photographs include effervescent celebrity shots, eternal images of africa and its people, seductive layouts from the world of fashion and pure, sensuous studies of the human form. no matter what the subject, ritts' masterful black and whites carry the stamp of classic simplicity. --- celebrities ritts' celebrity work evokes the optimism and glamour of southern california with intimate, yet playful shots such as the jack nicholson 'joker' series. he also presents some subjects in terms of their trademark feature, as depicted by comedian sandra bernhard's open mouth. --- fashion the fashion world has embraced ritts since the late 1970s. he has created memorable shots in all the top fashion magazines and his corporate clients include donna karan, calvin klein, the gap, giorgio armani and versace. ritts often challenges conventional notions of gender and stereotypes in his fashion photography, as well as creates celebrity shots that capture a mythical, yet intimate presence. through ritts' diverse achievements, he has established a signature approach to his work by continuously documenting the ongoing waves of public images and personalities in clean, pure lines and simple forms. --- studies of the human form the exhibition also features ritts' celebration of the human body as strong, sensuous and beautiful. he takes pleasure in evoking the tactile appeal of surface textures, showing the body flecked with grains of sand, veiled in sheer fabric, caked with drying mud, or exposed to cascading water. --- africa another side of ritts' work is his stunning photography from africa. traveling to east africa in 1993, he savored a working situation unconnected to fashion or fame. his photographs of the maasai people, animals, and the landscape they inhabit create a timeless world of vast spaces and ancient ways. the power of this understated approach is magnified in such photographs as 'nandoye and nangini, hands joined'.	'mask' hollywood, 1989 © herb ritts photography inc. courtesy fondation cartier 'vladimir I', hollywood, 1990 © herb ritts photography inc. courtesy fondation cartier ''dijimon with octopus', hollywood, 1989 © herb ritts photography inc. courtesy fondation cartier 'dijimon with octopus', hollywood, 1989 © herb ritts photography inc. courtesy fondation cartier
--- http://www.fondation.cartier.fr http://www.galleriacarlasozzani.com http://www.boston.com/mfa/ritts/ritts.htm --- / see the biography and more photos of herb ritts	'nandoye and nangini, hands joined', africa, 1993 © herb ritts photography inc. courtesy museum of fine arts, boston
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