The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography presents the first exhibition in Russia by the world famous fashion photographer Denis Piel. The exposition will bring together about 60 iconic photographs that were taken for the leading fashion publications in the US and Europe: Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair. Entrance to the exhibition is free for exhibitors. The exhibition will run from February 8 to May 7.
The exhibition builds around the 1980s - the height of the photographer's career - and highlights his distinctive cinematic approach to fashion photography. Denis Peel was born in France in 1944, spent his childhood and youth with his family in Australia, where in 1966 he founded his first photography studio. In the 1970s he worked between Paris, London and Milan doing fashion photography and advertising. In 1979, the legendary Condé Nast editor-in-chief Alexander Lieberman noticed him, and Denis Peel moved to New York, receiving - along with the greats Richard Avedon, Irving Penn - an exclusive publishing contract. For 10 years, he happened to make more than 1000 fashion shoots for leading fashion magazines in the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain. Many of these shots have become undeniably recognizable, iconic for their decade.
A. Lieberman noted: "Denis Peel is one of the great photographers of our time ... He brought an incredibly fresh look to fashion photography, he showed the life of a modern woman in a way that no one could have done before."
The heroines of his photographs were models who in the 1980s were the real stars of their time. Among them are Christy Turlington, Rachel Williams, Lara Nashinski, Eva Wallen, Nancy Donahue, Gia Karanji, Kelly LeBrock, Joan Severance, Yoanna Pakula. Peel's woman is particularly sensual and emotional, often caught in an intimate, non-frontal moment. This makes her much more "real" and attractive. However, Denis Peel was always more interested in models who were or could become actresses in the frame, rather than blindly following the instructions of the photographer. The exhibition will also feature photo shoots with Uma Thurman, Andie MacDowell, Goldie Hole, Nastassja Kinski, Charlotte Rampling, Jamie Lee Curtis and many more. A series of photos with 16-year-old Uma Thurman became the first professional photo shoot of a young actress.
In his approach to fashion photography, Denis Peel was not so much influenced by the photographic geniuses of Avedon, Penn and Newton as by the filmmakers of his time, especially Stanley Kubrick. Fashion stylist John Vertin notes: “I have always said that Denis Peel can be called the Stanley Kubrick of the fashion world, because when working with him or looking at his photographs, I get the same feeling that when watching Kubrick’s films. Cold elegance of the image, strange tension or even electrification in the frame. Barely perceptible, subtle, not catchy. The plot of what is happening is not immediately clear, as, for example, with Newton. Clarity comes with time and gives you goosebumps.”
“Through my photography, I really aim to tell a story. I want to create a certain mise-en-scène... Freeze frame! That's what I always strive for. A freeze frame with emotional intensity, tension-suspense and a question in the viewer's head: what happened before the moment of the frame, what is happening now and what will happen in the next minute, ”says the photographer.
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In the late 1980s, Denis Peele was awarded the Leica Medal of Excellence for Commercial Photography and founded the Jupiter Films video agency, leaving Condé Nast to focus on film. Denis Peel's photographs are in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and many private collections around the world. The author's personal exhibitions were held at the Rove Gallery in London (2013), the Textile Museum in the commune of Labastide-Rouerou (2010), the Musée du Point de Vue in Brussels (2010), the theater of the city of Castres in the south of France (2009), the National Costume Museum and Fashion in Lisbon (2008), Staley-Wise Gallery in New York (1982). Denis Peel will come to the opening of the exhibition in Moscow, hold an author's meeting, where he will talk about his creative path, and arrange a special tour of the exhibition.
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Famous fashion photographer Denis Piel “Freeze frame. Fashion photography. Bird In Flight learned from him how the world of fashion magazines changes and when the best shots are taken.
Denis Peel
Fashion photographer. He has worked in Australia, in Paris, London, Milan and New York. Collaborated with major Western publications, including Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair. In 1987 he was awarded the prestigious Leica Medal of Excellence for Commercial Photography.
Your photos are very cinematic. In doing so, you came into fashion photography, which - correct me if I'm wrong - often doesn't involve a deep behind-the-scenes story. How did it happen?
I started as a commercial photographer when I was very young. I discovered the world of fashion, and I liked it: it seemed that it was a very creative and luxurious area, that there were a lot of opportunities. In the 60s, the whole world experienced an explosion, everything changed, even the way people interacted. And that's how it happened.
The 80s was the golden era of fashion and fashion photography. What is happening with the industry now and how do you feel about these changes?
I don't follow it very much, so it's hard for me to say. The world of magazines has changed a lot - in paper form, it may even disappear. Maybe not, but it's definitely getting less popular because people are doing more and more things online. The magazines themselves are moving more and more online, and there should be more opportunities for them: they can now give video, sound - the things that I always hoped to use in my work.
Is fashion photography taking advantage of these opportunities?
Fashion itself provides an incredible opportunity to tell a story - connected not only with fashion, but also with a person. My interest in fashion itself has always been minimal, although it was part of my job. But it gives you the opportunity to do something deeper, more interesting, more human. I don't see it happening yet, but it's possible. I think the audience would be interested.
There is a lot of obsession with youth and beauty in the fashion industry - do you ever get bored of it?
I don't know how beauty can get boring. And youth is the future, it is always optimistic.
But there are other options for beauty - for example, the beauty of an elderly person?
Of course. Some of the most beautiful people I have met are women who have aged a lot. They did not do 10 facelifts, they are all covered with wrinkles - but their character comes out through the wrinkles, and this is the main thing. Beauty is much deeper than a smooth face. A young man with an ideal complexion [beautiful if visible in the face] a beautiful personality - in the same face without a personality there is no longer beauty. What is beautiful in people is what they broadcast with themselves - what they are with themselves and with other people.
Do you give the model detailed instructions on set or leave room for improvisation?
Differently. I usually have a clear understanding of where I'm taking the series, but within that I'm very open and eager to let the model explore the concept for itself. That's when mistakes happen and the best shots are when she gets lost.
I sometimes think about your photos of actresses - did you catch the real emotion of the actress or did you play it with her in front of the audience.
I think when [the emotion] is real, you can see that genuineness in the face of the model, in her eyes - they are not at all the same as when she portrays something. When you talk to people in everyday life, you see whether they are listening to you or thinking about their own; the same with the model. And [on the set] you push her to it - you ask: where are you, who are you, what are you thinking about. I can say to the model: "Think about this" - about something abstract, not related to shooting. Then she will be transported somewhere, do something with this idea. This is such a relationship with the model, such a game that we play with her. It is important for me to think that then the model leaves the shooting more satisfied with what she did.
It turns out that models reveal something very personal to you. Does it affect your attitude towards your work?
I don't think you should take it too seriously. I'm looking for some element of the present, but I'm not trying to invade their personal space. Perhaps I intrude on it when I want their thoughts to go to what I need, but models should not tell me about this and initiate me into their lives. I just ask them to think about it so that the body reflects this movement of thought - because the mind and body are very interconnected, and interesting pictures are obtained when they resonate.
Your exhibition in English is called Film Stills, which is also reminiscent of the work of Cindy Sherman. Does this have anything to do with what she did?
No, the title is a reference to my book Filmscapes, which is not out yet, but which this exhibition is very similar to. There are photographs in the book as they appeared in the magazines, and the way I see them is my choice of pictures from the series, my version of the story.
If you were 30 now and received the same offer from Conde Nast as you did then, would you accept it?
Don't know. I can't separate my age from what happened then. If I were 30 now, would I know what I know now?
I would continue to do what I do. If someone calls me and offers to shoot - something that I would really be interested in taking part in - I will agree. But would I like to change my current lifestyle? No.
The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography presents the first exhibition in Russia by the world famous fashion photographer Denis Piel. The exposition will bring together about 60 iconic photographs that were taken for the leading fashion publications in the US and Europe: Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair.
The exhibition will focus on the 1980s - the height of the photographer's career - and highlight his distinctive cinematic approach to fashion photography. Denis Peel was born in France in 1944, spent his childhood and youth with his family in Australia, where in 1966 he founded his first photography studio. In the 1970s he worked between Paris, London and Milan doing fashion photography and advertising. In 1979, spotted by the legendary editor-in-chief of Condé Nast, Alexander Lieberman, Denis Peel moved to New York, receiving, along with the greats Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, an exclusive contract with Condé Nast. For 10 years, he happened to make more than 1000 fashion shoots for leading fashion magazines in the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain. Many of these shots have become undeniably recognizable, iconic photographs of the fashion world of their decade. A. Lieberman noted: "Denis Peel is one of the great photographers of our time ... He brought an incredibly fresh look to fashion photography, he showed the life of a modern woman in a way that no one could do before."
The heroines of his photographs were models who in the 1980s became real stars of their time. Among them: Christy Turlington, Rachel Williams, Lara Nashinski, Eva Wallen, Nancy Donahue, Gia Karanji, Kelly LeBrock, Joan Severance, Yoanna Pakula. Peel's woman is particularly sensual and emotional, often caught in an intimate, non-frontal moment. This makes her much more "real" and attractive. However, Denis Peel was always more interested in models who were or could become actresses in the frame, rather than blindly following the instructions of the photographer. The exhibition will also feature photo sessions with Uma Thurman, Andie MacDowell, Goldie Hawn, Nastassja Kinski, Charlotte Rampling, Jamie Lee Curtis and many more. A series of photos with 16-year-old Uma Thurman is notable for being the first professional photo shoot of a young actress.
In his approach to fashion photography Denis Peel was not so much influenced by the photographic geniuses of Avedon, Penn and Newton as by the filmmakers of his time, especially Stanley Kubrick. Fashion stylist John Vertin notes: “I have always said that Denis Peel can be called the Stanley Kubrick of the fashion world, because when working with him or looking at his photographs, I get the same feeling as when watching Kubrick's films. The cold elegance of the image, the strange tension or even the electrification of the state in the frame. Barely perceptible, subtle, not catchy. The plot of what is happening is not immediately clear, as, for example, with Newton. Clarity comes with time and gives you goosebumps.” And the photographer fully confirms his cinematic approach, which gives glossy photography an atypical mystery, thereby expanding the boundaries of the genre. “Through my photography, I really want to tell a story. I want to create a certain mise-en-scene... Freeze frame! Here is what I always strive for. Freeze frame with emotional intensity, tension-suspense and a question in the viewer's head: what happened before the moment of the frame, what is happening now and what will happen in the next minute.
In the late 1980s, Denis Peele was awarded the Leica Medal of Excellence for Commercial Photography, at the same time he founded the video agency Jupiter Films, leaving Condé Nast to focus on film. Denis Peel's photographs are found in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and many private collections around the world. The author's personal exhibitions were held at the Rove Gallery in London (2013), the Textile Museum in the commune of Labastide-Rouerou (2010), the Musée du Point de Vue in Brussels (2010), the theater of the city of Castres in the south of France (2009), the National Costume Museum and Fashion in Lisbon (2008), Staley Wise Gallery in New York (1982). Denis Peel will come to the opening of the exhibition in Moscow, and will also hold an author's meeting, where he will talk about his creative path.
French photographer Denis Pila called " Stanley Kubrick fashion world." In the 1980s, he had a huge impact on "fashion" photography. Denis worked with leading publications in the US and Europe: Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and the heroines of his photographs were such stars as Uma Thurman, Andie MacDowell, Goldie Hawn, Nastassja Kinski, Charlotte Rampling, Christy Turlington and many others.
Denis Peel came to Moscow for the opening of his first exhibition in Russia, which can be seen at the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography. AiF.ru met with a world-famous glossy photographer to find out the details of celebrity photo shoots.
Elena Yakovleva, AiF.ru: You probably know about the scandal with the photo exhibition of Jock Sturges, which took place here, at the Lumiere Brothers Photography Center, just a few months ago. Activists found child pornography in it and demanded that the exhibition be closed. Interested to know your opinion about this precedent?
Denis Peel: It's hard for me to answer this question. I know work Jock Sturgess, but do not know this particular exhibition and never heard of this situation.
In general, I adhere to the idea that art is free. And I certainly abhor the idea that some exhibition of photographs can be banned, closed by the state or someone else. If the exhibition is related to insulting someone's feelings, then it is worth thinking about it, but art has its own guidelines, its own experts, and you need to rely on them. You always need to understand what the author came from, what the artist came from, what is the concept, what is the idea of this project.
- At the exhibition that you brought to Moscow (“Freeze frame. Fashion photography by Denis Pila” - ed.), There is a hint of erotica. But, as far as I know, you also have more revealing works, why are they not among the submitted photos?
- As an opportunity for exhibiting, I offered the gallery my latest project “Down to Earth” (“Closer to the Earth” - ed.), which explores the human body in relation to the earth, nature, plants. This project features female and male nudes, but I had the feeling that this proposal from the gallery did not meet with support. And I think now I understand why.
In Russia there is a certain misunderstanding of the naked body in art. This is very sad for me, because my project does not carry any aggression. And now, when we were preparing an exhibition of photographs of the 80s, we had the option to emphasize either the cinematic approach to shooting or the sensual one. I'm glad I did both, but for my part, I would have selected more photos that emphasize sensuality.
Now I understand that there is some misunderstanding with this topic and why the selection in many ways turned out the way it turned out.
Exhibition “Freeze Frame. Fashion photography by Denis Piel. Photo: Press Service of the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography
- Why do you think our society reacts so sharply to nudity?
- I don’t know, probably, this is a matter of general education, awareness ... I believe that every person should be aware and understand who he is from a psychological, physical, mental point of view. Not only to understand, but also to be able to talk about it, show it, work with it. This is exactly what I'm researching.
In fact, I have always had the idea that Russian people are more emotional. And speaking of the emotional susceptibility of Russians, it is difficult for me to understand how the physical side of emotions turned out to be not as developed as the spiritual side.
- And if the situation with the closing of the exhibition happened to you, if someone called your photographs pornography, what would you say?
- I would send them to a psychiatrist (laughs).
Denis Peel in front of a photograph by Andie MacDowell. Photo: Press Service of the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography
"Ordinary People"
— You brought to Russia photographs that were taken for fashion magazines back in the 80s. They feature such beauties as Uma Thurman, Andie MacDowell, Goldie Hawn, Nastassja Kinski... How do you manage to maintain working relationships with such beautiful women, how do you manage not to fall in love with your models?
In fact, professional relationships in this area mean that you need to be a little in love with your model. This is normal and even correct. Naturally, when I shoot, I try to reveal the model not only physically, but also emotionally. It implies some kind of natural rapprochement between us. What can be the story next, how much closer can be the rapprochement between the photographer and the model, this is a personal story...
Claire Hawke, 1985. Photo: Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography Press Service / Denis Peel
- Would you like to look behind the camera lens and find out how your star models behaved during the photo shoot?
- Everything is quite natural, on the set they are the most ordinary people. I can tell you about Andie MacDowell's photoshoot that I did for Vogue. As you can see, this is quite a frank and sensual shooting, while Andy herself is a very, very modest girl (at least she was then) and such behavior is not typical for her at all. I work a lot as a director and I suggested Andy play a similar role. Despite her naturally modest nature, she agreed, and when these pictures were published in Vogue, she was shocked. Her friends said: “Andy, it’s not you, you don’t look like yourself at all, you are completely different!”. At that moment she was embarrassed, but now, looking back, she tells me that she is very proud of those pictures.
And, for example, the shooting of Goldie Houndl for Rolling Stone magazine was completely different. I came to Goldie's house and she showed me things that she could use for our photo shoot. We communicated wonderfully and, in fact, in the course of the conversation, these shots were born. I didn't want her to play someone in front of the camera, I wanted her to be herself, I wanted to capture her personality.
What about Uma Thurman? It is known that you were the first who made the first professional photo session with the future popular actress and model. Then you saw a star in a 16-year-old girl?
— During that shooting there were two more models, it was a group photo session. But I remember very well that I caught myself on the fact that I could not stop filming Uma. She was incredibly attractive... And I think that answers your question.
Uma Thurman, 1986. Photo: Press Service of the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography / Denis Peel
— Have you ever photographed Russian models?
— In fact, I have never worked with Russian models. Yes, and in Russia for the first time and still little I saw Russian women (laughs).
— I can’t say that I have ever been very interested in the world of fashion as such. I have always been more interested in the person himself, the model herself, who, of course, wears these fashionable clothes.
But I understand that famous designers are always inspired by something. They draw their inspiration from a variety of resources: from different eras, from different national traditions. And I am sure that in Russia there are a lot of sources for inspiration, they just need to be found and implemented, to be brave enough to declare yourself loudly.
