Published to accompany a headline exhibition at the V&A, this book is the definitive celebration of the extraordinary photographic career of Horst P. Horst (1906 – 99). One of Vogue’s most prolific and creative contributors, Horst worked in Paris and New York, photographing fashions by leading designers and making portraits of the century’s stars. His important work made outside the realms of fashion photography is also included here. Horst excelled at nude studies and still-life photography, fusing Hellenic and Surrealist motifs and drawing inspiration from artists such as Salvador Dali. He captured the exquisite simplicity of natural forms – plants, shells and stones – transforming them into abstract kaleidoscopic collages. His little-known travel photographs reveal his fascination with ancient cultures, landscapes and architecture and, in later years, Horst photographed some of the world’s most beautiful homes for Vogue and House & Garden. His work epitomizes the interconnections between art, fashion and high society.Today, Horst’s photographs continue to inspire art directors and photographers, and he ranks alongside Irving Penn and Richard Avedon as one of the great masters of twentieth-century photography.
Accompanies the V&A exhibition Horst: Photographer of Style, 6 September 2014 to 4 January 2015