PETER LINDBERGH | Opening exhibition of the Budapest PhotoFestival in the Kunsthalle

In 2025, the Budapest Photo Festival will open at Kunsthalle Budapest with an exhibition of the legendary German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh (1944-2019).

Since the 1980s, Peter Lindbergh has been one of the most talked about figures of fashion photography. As a pioneer in photography, he sought to capture timeless characters with minimalist means, redefining the concept of beauty with his unique vision. The authenticity of his portraits and his unconventional vision in the world of advertising and fashion was in contrast with the strictly construed style of the era and went against current trends in fashion photography. He gained international recognition with his 1988 shot for American Vogue, in which six models, dressed in simple white shirts, appear as an unconcerned party of friends on the beach. The "white shirt" group photo has become an iconic symbol of candid moments and timeless beauty.

Another epoch-making image in the history of fashion photography is the cover photo of the January 1990 issue of British Vogue, which featured Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz and Christy Turlington together for the first time. This photo can be seen as the opening of the supermodel era, where models became the stars of fashion and fashion photography enveloping themselves in an aura similar to that of film stars. Besides the primacy of personality, depicting female archetypes, such as the dancer, the femme fatale, the heroine, in other words, role-playing, is as much an essential element of his black and white pictures as spontaneity and dynamism. The exhibition’s more than fifty photographs include several famous shots, such as Lindbergh's personal favourite, Angel Story, inspired by Wim Wenders' film Wings of Desire (originally The Sky Over Berlin), and Kate Moss' 1994 portrait from the series A Star is Born. In addition to the top model icons of the '90s, visitors can also see special portraits of actors, including Monica Bellucci, Nicole Kidman and Adrian Brody.

Curator: Zsuzsanna Tulipán

Co-curator : Szilvia Mucsy

Estelle Lefebure, Karen Alexander, Rachel Williams, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, Vogue USA, Los Angeles, 1988 © Peter Lindbergh / © Peter Lindbergh Foundation  

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