Skip to main content

Ellen von Unwerth Photography

German, b. 1954

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.

Find original Ellen von Unwerth photography on 1stDibs.

to
1
1
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
286
132
83
40
31
1
1
Color:  Purple
Artist: Ellen von Unwerth
David Bowie and Kate Moss IV for Q Magazine - fine art photography, 2003
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Vienna, AT
All prints are limited edition. Available in multiple sizes. High-end framing on request. All prints are done and signed by the artist. The collector receives an additional certificate of authenticity from the gallery. This Photograph is part of an iconic series the famous contemporary Photographer Ellen von Unwerth created in 2003 for Q-Magazine. It combines two Legends, Kate Moss and David...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Related Items
Istanbul 10:43PM, Turkey
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 15 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be aft...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Paris 10:24PM, France
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 15 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through june 10, 2018. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a d...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Rio de Janeiro 2:08PM, Brazil
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 20 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be aft...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Rio de Janeiro 5:10PM, Brazil
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 20 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be aft...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Blast Off, Maine, 2010
Located in Hudson, NY
This listing is for the unframed photograph. The Robin Rice Gallery proudly announces SUMMERTIME Salon 2019, an annual photography exhibit featuring gallery artists as well as a fe...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

New York 8:13AM, New York
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 15 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be aft...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Goa 3:00AM, India
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 20 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be aft...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Savelletri 8:27PM, Italy
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 20 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be aft...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Roma 00:23AM, Italy
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 20 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be aft...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Paris 10:52PM, France
By Leonardo Pucci
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 20 CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through May 6, 2018. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be after May 6. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase. Please allow two weeks for production. Shipping time depends on method of shipping. Price is subject to availability. The Robin Rice Gallery reserves the right to adjust this price depending on the current exhibition of the photograph. ABOUT The Robin Rice Gallery is pleased to present “episodes (without a real order)”, the first solo photographic exhibition by Leonardo Pucci. The opening reception will be held on Wednesday, March 21st from 6pm to 8pm. The show will run through May 6th, 2018. The delicate sensuality and voyeuristic feeling in Leonardo Pucci’s work allows his photographs to act as indefinite episodes, stolen moments in the lives of individuals or couples caught unaware. But the narrative Pucci is most interested in, is the stories his photographs elicit from the piece’s observers rather than the story of his subjects themselves. Shot mostly at dusk or at night, Pucci’s imagery creates a vague tension in his observer: “the idea that you are looking at something you shouldn’t be seeing provokes a feeling of curiosity and emotion, paired with a subtle discomfort or shame”. “However, this turmoil is temporary as the observer’s personal memories take over in the desire to have his/her own story told. Through the artist’s use of strong geometric compositions and his almost three-dimensional contrasting colors, the photographs reveal moments that are usually secretive and hidden eliminating the distance between the observer and the subject. The exhibition’s invitational image “Paris 9:33am” demonstrates Pucci’s synthesis of composition, color, and narrative. In essence, the fine and detailed arrangement of Pucci’s subjects and their environment - the placement and color of a distant window and the stranger therein create a theater in which the observer can play out their own dreams and impressions. Describing his episodes, which have been installed against a dark grey wall, Pucci states, “They are crystallized instants and therefore appear strangely like a canvas that everyone recognizes, adding their own meanings, tales and emotions which go beyond the image itself.” Leonardo Pucci is a self-taught photographer born in Pisa, Italy. He is currently living between Paris and Rome. He was able to nourish his eye for beauty and narrative through his work in fashion at Italian and French “Maisons”, supervising creative and development processes. Leonardo Pucci links his first memories of photography to his father, who would record every moment of their family life. Among his influences, Pucci lists Franco Fontana, Saul Leiter, Merry Alpern, and Philip-Lorca di Corcia. Color, Paris, Men, Architecture, Voyeur, Male...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Interior With Open Door - Photomontage, Archival Pigment Print, Interiors
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Archival pigment print on hahnemühle Fine Art paper. Contemporary Photography, Interiors, Plants, Birds, Interiors Work Title : "Interior with open door" Artist : Suzanne Moxhay...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Doorway - Interior Photography, Bird, Mirror
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Archival pigment print on hahnemühle Fine Art paper. Contemporary Photography, Romantic imagery, Plants, Birds, Interiors Work Title : "Doorway" Artist : Suzanne Moxhay The work is h...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Paper

Ellen Von Unwerth photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ellen von Unwerth photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, red, blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ellen von Unwerth in pigment print, archival pigment print, silver gelatin print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Ellen von Unwerth photography, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Frank Schott, Joachim Schmeisser, and Guido Argentini.

Recently Viewed

View All