“L’oggetto per me deve possedere un significato secondo, un
livello nascosto o non subito evidente che io possa tirare fuori.Non sono le
fotografie e i soggetti ad essere speciali ma le idee che racchiudono.” (Albert Watson)
Albert Watson è nato a Edimburgo nel 1942; vive e lavora a New
York. è considerato tra i più importanti fotografi degli ultimi decenni nel
campo del ritratto, della moda e della pubblicità. Nato e cresciuto a
Edimburgo, benché cieco da un occhio, si dedica alle arti visive studiando,
oltre alla fotografia, anche cinema e televisione al Royal College of Art di
Londra e grafica al Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design di Dundee.
Nel 1970 si trasferisce negli Stati Uniti con la moglie Elizabeth iniziando a
fotografare per hobby, finché l`art director di Max Factor gli offre il primo
servizio. Il suo stile particolare colpisce l`attenzione di riviste di moda
americane ed europee, come Mademoiselle, GQ e Harper`s Bazaar. Comincia così a
lavorare e a spostarsi tra Los Angeles e New York. Il 1976 è l’anno del suo
primo lavoro per Vogue e quindi del suo trasferimento a New York che imprime
una svolta decisiva alla sua carriera. Da lì in poi le foto dell’artista
scozzese appaiono su oltre 250 copertine di Vogue e su molte altre riviste
prestigiose, da Rolling Stones a Time. Realizza numerosi ritratti di esponenti
dello show-business, della musica e del cinema, da Mick Jagger a Jack
Nicholson, da Kate Moss a B.B. King, passando per Alfred Hitchcock e la famiglia
reale inglese. Scatta inoltre immagini per innumerevoli campagne pubblicitarie
di famosi marchi come Gap, Levi`s, Revlon e Chanel dirigendo oltre 600 spot
televisivi. Ispirandosi ai suoi viaggi in giro per la terra, lavora
parallelamente anche a diversi progetti personali. Molti di questi lavori,
insieme ai suoi ritratti e alle fotografie di moda, si tramutano in libri e
vengono esposti in musei e gallerie di tutto il mondo. arte.rai
Watson also
has created the photography for hundreds of successful advertising campaigns
for major corporations, such as Prada, the Gap, Levi's, Revlon and Chanel, and
he has directed many TV commercials and shot dozens of posters for major
Hollywood movies. All the while, Watson has spent much of his time working on
personal projects, creating stunning images from his travels and interests,
from Marrakech to Las Vegas to the Orkneys. Much of this work, along with his
well-known portraits and fashion photographs, has been featured in museum and
gallery shows worldwide.
Born and
raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, Watson studied graphic design at the Duncan of
Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, and film and television at the
Royal College of Art in London. In 1970, he moved to the United States with his
wife, Elizabeth, who got a job as an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles,
where Watson began shooting photos, mostly as a hobby.
Later that
year, Watson was introduced to an art director at Max Factor, who offered him
his first test session, from which the company bought two shots. Watson's
distinctive style eventually caught the attention of American and European
fashion magazines such as Mademoiselle, GQ and Harper's Bazaar, and he began
commuting between Los Angeles and New York. In 1976, he landed his first job
for Vogue. With his move to New York that same year, his career took off.
Despite the
demands of his commissioned assignments, Watson devotes much of his time to
extensive personal projects, and he has published three
books: Cyclops (1994); Maroc (1998); and a retrospective
called simply Albert Watson that was released by Phaidon in November
2007. In Autumn 2010, PQ Blackwell, in association with Abrams, published two
new books, one on Las Vegas, Strip Search and another on
fashion, UFO: Unified Fashion Objectives. Since 2004, he has had solo
shows at the Museum of Modern Art in Milan, Italy; the KunstHausWien in Vienna,
Austria; the City Art Centre in Edinburgh; the FotoMuseum in Antwerp, Belgium;
the NRW Forum in Dusseldorf, Germany; the Forma Galleria in Milan; Fotografiska
in Stockholm; and Hamiltons Gallery, London. Albert's photographs have also
been featured in many group shows at museums, including the National Portrait
Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Pushkin
Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, the International Center of Photography in New
York, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg, Germany. His
photographs are included in the permanent collections at the National Portrait
Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Watson's
visual language follows his own distinctive rules and concepts of quality. With
their brilliance, urgency, even grandeur, his photographs stand out so clearly
against the world of today's images. His way of lighting subjects, especially
the fetish objects and portraits, creates a nearly meditative atmosphere in the
photographs.
Though the
wide variety of his images reflects an effortless versatility, they are
nevertheless identifiable as Albert Watson photographs by their sheer power and
technical virtuosity _ whether it's a portrait of a Las Vegas dominatrix or a
close-up of King Tutankhamen's sock. This single-minded commitment to
perfection has made Watson one of the world's most sought-after photographers.
In June
2015, Albert Watson was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE)
by Queen Elizabeth II for his lifetime contribution to and achievements in
photography. hamiltonsgallery
All images ©
Albert Watson
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