Arthur Elgort
Linda Evangelista playing

About the Item

Great black and white full body portrait of supermodel Linda Evangelisa wearing a hat and making music playing accordion. The photographs of Arthur Elgort created a sensation in his 1971 debut in British Vogue. He brought a breath of fresh air into the world of fashion photography. His relaxed and easy snapshot style allowed his subjects to move freely in the frame. His young and pretty models wore less make-up, were more lively, and moved about casually in the natural light that he favored. His outdoor locations such as city streets, pools, and beaches came to characterize his style. Arthur quickly became one of the best-known and most emulated photographers. His style changed the face of fashion photography.

Creator:
Arthur Elgort (1940, American)
Dimensions:
Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 40 in (101.6 cm)
Medium:
Silver Gelatin
Period:
1990-1999
Condition:
different sizes and editions available.
Gallery Location:
Vienna, AT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU193430642
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Arthur Elgort

One of the world’s most frequently imitated photographers, Arthur Elgort is a tireless innovator known for his lively “snapshot” style. He has freelanced for a range of top-tier magazines and luxury brands, and is credited with introducing movement and an emphasis on the wonders of natural light to the realm of fashion photography.

Born in 1940 in New York City, Elgort attended Stuyvesant High School and later studied painting at Hunter College before turning to photography. “I started as a painter, but I was a bad copy of Franz Kline,” explained Elgort in an interview with the New York Times. “I couldn’t draw. But I thought, ‘If I had a camera, I could capture something.’ So, I became a photographer.”

Elgort’s career began as a photo assistant to Swedish fashion photographer Gösta Peterson. He shot his first cover photo for Mademoiselle magazine. However, a series of groundbreakingly candid black and white photos Elgort took of a model playing with a dog for British Vogue in 1971 cemented his status as a star in fashion photography.

Elgort’s relaxed technique, which sees him capturing breezy images of models in what appear to be candid moments, was a refreshing and welcome change to the stiff and staged studio shoots that were characteristic of fashion photography during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, Elgort has taken some of the fashion industry’s most iconic portraits, particularly of supermodels Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington.

For decades, Elgort has worked as a photographer at Vogue, and his striking black and white and color photos have also graced the pages of Rolling Stone, GQ and Glamour.

Elgort’s works are featured in galleries and museums around the world, including the International Center of Photography in New York City, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

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