Alan Aldridge

Ashing a lipstick-smeared cigarette into an egg yolk is just the level of discomfort and sex appeal that photographer Miles Aldridge has mastered over his 30 years in the business. As one of the few contemporary photographers to shoot nearly exclusively on film, Aldridge arranges and captures models in colorful, exaggerated scenes with thoughtful, slightly disquieting perspective. The subtleties are quintessentially film noir — with an air of pop culture — and create a wonderful tension surrounding the context behind the femme fatale.

Aldridge was born in London in 1964. He received his first camera as a gift from his father, the illustrator and art director Alan Aldridge. He later studied graphic design at Central Saint Martins, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1987. He directed music videos for several years before committing to photography full-time in the 1990s.

Aldridge’s photos have a distinctly cinematic quality achieved through a process similar to arranging a shot for a film. Beginning with a sketch, Aldridge envisions a scene while planning the lighting and color choices that will go into it. His style is influenced by the works of American portrait photographer Richard Avedon, British film director Derek Jarman and American film director David Lynch.

His fashion photography has been published in many magazines and news outlets, ranging from Vogue and Vogue Italia to the New Yorker and the New York Times. Aldridge has been featured in numerous exhibitions since his first solo show in 2009 at Hamiltons Gallery in London, including solo shows at Steven Kasher Gallery in New York and Reflex Amsterdam. He has also participated in group shows at Frank Fluegel Gallery in Nuremberg, Huxley-Parlour Gallery in London and Rukaj Gallery in Toronto. 

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Miles Aldridge’s photography and prints and multiples.

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.

Life becomes art in figurative photography. Shared moments are captured and history is recorded in images of people and their lives.

Figurative photography is often used to describe a kind of photography in which people are the subject. Early black and white photography of people can be a glimpse into a past century — witness the celebrated work of photographers such as Ansel Adams or lesser-known artists like Berenice Abbott, for example. The cultural and social standards of the time are captured in these figurative photographs.

Mid-century photos might show the life and fashions of the day, sometimes with the shared thread of humanity, joy and love. Indeed, figurative photographs can be a source of inspiration and wonder, speaking of common life experiences and beauty. Vintage photos of celebrities and iconic actors can be valuable keepsakes as snapshots of a bygone era.

Just as if you were bringing paintings, prints or drawings into your space as part of the decor, there are many ways to arrange your figurative photography. Large photos can be statement pieces in a room. Smaller photographs can be placed on bookcases or on compact wall spaces to add an artistic element to a living room or a bedroom.

Find a collection of figurative photography on 1stDibs today.