Ellen von Unwerth
Dirndl - portrait of a model in a traditional Bavarian dress

About the Item

Available in multiple sizes. All prints are limited edition. High-end framing on request. All prints are done and singed by the artist. The collector receives an additional certificate of authenticity from the gallery. Pouty lips, splashing colours, and suggestive poses have turned Ellen von Unwerth into one of the most sought-after fine art photographers of our day and age. Having gone from supermodel to superstar in her own right, Unwerth’s oeuvre is provocation and pleasure at the same time. Eternalising the Who’s Who from supermodels, such as Kate Moss or Claudia Schiffer, to the cult figures of the 90s, such as Madonna, Unwerth has created iconic works which already have claimed a place in the history of contemporary photography and are now an integral part of our aesthetic vocabulary. Branching out from celebrity photography, the German-born artist has created subversive visual tales of revenge or growing up in rural Bavaria. Daring and droll, playful, and cheeky, Unwerth’s exploits bring colour and joy. PREISS FINE ARTS is one of the most successful galleries on the international art market and responsible for the increasing importance of fine art photography. Representing only the most prestigious artists of given field, our portfolio provides a substantial overview of the contemporary fine art scene for 10 years and continuing. PREISS FINE ARTS takes care of its exclusive collectors from all over the world in a highly professional and individual way, meeting demands of art-interested people. Each artwork is handcrafted and signed by the artist in a strictly limited edition. We deliver worldwide and work with the best service providers regarding framing and delivery.

Creator:
Ellen von Unwerth (1954, German)
Dimensions:
Height: 47.25 in (120 cm)Width: 70.87 in (180 cm)
Medium:
Archival Pigment
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
2010-
Framing:
Framing Options Available
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Vienna, AT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1933330901
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Ellen von Unwerth

Ellen von Unwerth is a director and photographer whose bold and erotic images of women have left an indelible mark on the visual landscape of the fashion world.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, von Unwerth was a model in Paris for nearly a decade before turning to photography. Her 1989 images of Claudia Schiffer for a Guess jeans campaign, echoing the playfully feminine style of 1950s pinups, earned both Schiffer and von Unwerth wide attention. Over the years, her work has been featured regularly in magazines like Interview, Vanity Fair, Vogue, I-D and The Face, appearing on covers and in both editorial and commercial contexts. In 1991, she won first prize at the International Festival of Fashion Photography.

Von Unwerth’s 1995 photoshoot of Drew Barrymore for Playboy magazine is among her most popular work and, coupled with an array of album covers for such artists as Janet Jackson and Britney Spears, gave her standing as a celebrity photographer beyond the borders of the fashion world. Von Unwerth’s pictures have a distinctive look and feel, with saturated colors and dense compositions, while also, in certain cases, paying homage to great photographers of the 20th century.

The 2015 Tree of Love, Bavaria, in which a nude model reclines inside the heart-shaped hollow of an enormous decaying trunk, recalls Edward Weston’s sensuous use of the body’s geometry in his compositions. And the dramatically lit Tic Tac Toe from 2010, showing a scantily clad woman posing on a city street at night, evokes Helmut Newton’s atmospheric photograph of a model wearing Yves St. Laurent’s Le Smoking jacket, shot for French Vogue in 1975.

Von Unwerth has published several books of her photographs, including Revenge, in 2003, and Fräulein, in 2009. Those volumes have been joined by one showcasing the photos of her series “Heimat,” in which she playfully combines visual tropes of traditional Bavarian life with her signature eroticism and wit. She is represented by several dealers, including the Staley-Wise Gallery, in New York, and Galerie Trabant, in Kitzbühel, Austria.

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