Geukens & De Vil is honoured to start the new season with a tribute to renowned photographer Peter Lindbergh (°1944, Leszno – †2019, Paris).
 
Considered a pioneer in photography, Lindbergh introduced a form of new realism by redefining the standards of beauty. In contrast to the tendencies of his time, he rejected retouching his models and preferred as little make-up as possible. He drastically changed the standards of fashion photography and offered a new interpretation of women post-1980’s, believing that, as he said, “If you take out the fashion and the artifice, you can then see the real person.”
Lindbergh is best known for cinematographic narratives, simple and revealing portraits and still lifes. He is strongly influenced by early German cinema, the industrial surroundings of his childhood in Noordrijn-Westfalen, dance and German cabaret. Geukens & De Vil looks back at a 20-year collaboration with the photographer since they first showed his work in 2001. In collaboration with the Peter Lindbergh Foundation, the exhibition presents a selection of his iconic black & white fashion images (including the famous photo of models in man’s shirts on the beach), as well as still lifes and more recent work. The first room of the gallery space consists of photographic wallpaper, as a reference to Lindbergh’s last museum exhibition, which he curated himself, and is still travelling round the world.
 
Lindbergh’s work has been an inspiration for many artists. He has worked with the most prestigious fashion brands and magazines since the late 1970’s and received several prestigious awards. In 2016, Lindbergh was commissioned for a record third time to create the 2017 edition of the Pirelli calendar, being the first one to photograph it more than twice in its fifty years history. His work is part of the permanent collection in many fine arts museums around the world and has also been shown in prestigious museums and galleries, among which: Victoria & Albert Museum (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris) and MoMA (New York).  The exhibition at Geukens & De Vil will be the first gallery show since the artist passed away in 2019.