Foam press release | 5 April 2011
Anton Corbijn -
inwards and onwards
23 June - 1 September 2011
Foam is proud to present Anton Corbijn's most recent photographic
project. In it he has aimed the camera at a few of his favourite
artists, including Gerhard Richter, Alexander McQueen, Richard
Prince, Iggy Pop, Anselm Kiefer, Damien Hirst, Tom Waits, Peter
Doig, Bruce Springsteen, Lucian Freud and Karel Appel.
Corbijn's love for the musical and creative spirit is already well
known. Collaborating on a short film (Some YoYo Stuff,
1993) with artist Don van Vliet - also known as Captain Beefheart -
made his appreciation for the painter clear. This probably also had
to do with the fact that his grandfather was a painter. The project
strippinggirls which he produced with Marlene Dumas in
2000 also had an influence on his interest in the painter.
Anton Corbijn is interested in how artists struggle with the
creative process: the pain and the drama of the act of creation.
His monumental black-and-white portraits blend austerity and
aesthetics and attract attention because of the deliberate and
exacting way they capture the character of the person being
portrayed. The work shows Corbijn's concentrated gaze, his feeling
for wonder and his ability to empathise with another.
Personal vision
In spite of the styling and the apparent coolness of the images,
Anton Corbijn's photos have their own unique kind of intimacy. This
comes more from Corbijn's vision than from how well he is
acquainted with his subject. Both the form chosen as well as the
interplay of his concentrated gaze and the space that he
continually allows to be determined by chance are essential to the
strength of this work. In this series of portraits, Corbijn reveals
an extremely personal and contemplative vision of artists which in
many respects are decisive for our time and culture. The social and
psychological consciousness that Corbijn reveals in these portraits
draws viewers into the complexity of the creative process in an
unexpected way and makes them aware of the struggle that often is
linked to creation. Through this, the portraits give insight into
the artists depicted as well as the creator of these intriguing
photographs.
Influence
The work of Anton Corbijn has had a great influence
on photography throughout his long career, especially on the use of
portrait photography in international media. Even at the beginning
of his career, a subtle balance could be observed between
documentary work and portrait photography in his atmospheric and
often melancholy black-and-white photos. His implicit
blurring of the lines between various photographic genres was later
widely copied worldwide.
No stereotypes
Throughout the years, Corbijn's work has continued to
be innovative. In addition to photography, he has delved into
graphic design, producing music videos and, more recently, film. A
decisive factor in the power of his work is that it originates from
a strong personal involvement with his subject. This results in
photos that differ sharply from the usual stereotypical images of
celebrities. Many of Corbijn's photos are characterised by an
unexpected insight into the psyche of the person being portrayed.
His photos always add something extra to what already exists and is
known. It is because of this that numerous photos by Corbijn have
grown into internationally recognised icons over the years -
world-famous photographs of stars such as David Bowie, Miles Davis,
Tom Waits, Bono and Clint Eastwood. It can safely be said that
entire generations worldwide have grown up with these photos.
Bio
In recent years, Anton Corbijn (Strijen, Zuid Holland, 1955) has
been mainly known as the director of feature films such as
Control (2007) and The American (2010).
However, his love for photography has remained. During his career
of more than thirty years, he has worked with countless musicians
and actors and has been the 'house photographer' for bands such as
U2 and Depeche Mode. Corbijn has also directed numerous music
videos for Joy Division, Nirvana, Coldplay and Johnny Cash, among
others. His photographic work has been exhibited in many prominent
institutes and museums, from the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg to the
Photographic Research Center in Boston and the Kunstmuseum in
Vienna. A number of monographs of Corbijn's work have also been
published.
The accompanying catalog ANTON CORBIJN: INWARDS AND ONWARDS
(with an essay by Francis Hodgson) is published by Schirmer/Mosel
Publishers, Munich (80 pages, 36 duotone plates, English edition,
EUR 29.80).
This exhibition is made possible with the support from:
inwards and onwards by Anton Corbijn is on exhibit
at Foam from 23 June to 1 September 2011. Open daily 10am - 6pm,
Thurs/Fri 10am - 9pm. Tickets: €8.
To the editors:
For more information and to request image material, please contact
the Communication department, e-mail: foam[at]foam.org or telephone: +31 20
55 16500.
More information:
Foam, Communications
Department, tel 020-55 16
500, foam@foam.org
Government Information Service, tel 070-3564142, www.koninklijkhuis.nl
Foam receives support from the
BankGiro Loterij, the VandenEnde Foundation and De Brauw
Blackstone Westbroek.
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