Horst: Photographer of Style

Exhibition – Horst: Photographer of Style

Victoria & Albert Museum, London

6 Sept 2014 – 4 January 2015

Not to be missed…

Horst: Photographer of Style is a rare opportunity to see the work of master photographer Horst P. Horst (1906-1999) – one of the leading photographers of the 20th century. During a career spanning 60-years, German-born Horst worked mainly in Paris and New York traversing the worlds of photography, art, fashion, design, theatre and high society.

On display…

250 iconic photographs with haute couture garments, magazines, film footage and ephemera.

Also catch…

Horst’s collaborations and friendships with leading couturiers such as Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in Paris; stars including Marlene Dietrich and Noël Coward; and artists and designers such as Salvador Dalí and Jean-Michel Frank… and 90 timeless Vogue covers, nude studies, travel photographs and graphic patterns.

Inspiring and in-depth…

The creative process behind some of his most famous photographs, such as the Mainbocher Corset, will be revealed through the inclusion of original contact sheets, sketches and cameras. The many sources that influenced Horst – from ancient Classical art to Bauhaus ideals of modern design and Surrealism in 1930s Paris – will be explored.

Iconic portraiture…

Horst excelled at portraiture and in the 1930s he captured some of Hollywood’s brightest stars: Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, Vivien Leigh, Noël Coward, Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford, to name a few.

Much imitated…

Martin Roth, Director of the V&A comments “Horst’s legacy and influence, which has been seen in work by artists, designers and performers including Herb Ritts, Robert Mapplethorpe, Bruce Weber and Madonna, continues today.”

Many of us have stumbled across his work in art galleries…

Horst produced new, lavish prints in platinum-palladium for museums and the collector’s market, selecting emblematic works from every decade of his career, which will be showcased as the finale to the exhibition.

1. Patterns from Nature Photographic Collage c. 1945 Conde Nast Horst Estate

2. Horst directing fashion shoot with Lisa Fonssagrives 1949. Photo by Roy Stevens Time Life Pictures Getty Images

3. Summer Fashions American Vogue cover 15 May 1941 Conde Nast Horst Estate

4. View of ruins at the palace of Persepolis Persia 1949 Conde Nast Horst Estate

5. Salvador Dalis costumes for Leonid Massines ballet Bacchanale 1939 Conde Nast Horst Estate

6. Corset by Detolle for Mainbocher 1939 Conde Nast Horst Estate

7. Marlene Dietrich New York 1942 Conde Nast Horst Estate

8. Dress by Hattie Carnegie 1939 Conde Nast Horst Estate

9. Male Nude 1952 Conde Nast Horst Estate

10. Round the Clock New York 1987 Conde Nast Horst Estate

11. Dinner suit and headdress by Schiaparelli 1947 Conde Nast Horst Estate

12. Muriel Maxwell American Vogue cover 1 July 1939 Conde Nast Horst Estate

The V&A is open daily from 10.00 to 17.45 and until 22.00 on Fridays

Tickets £8 (concessions available). 

Book: www.vam.ac.uk/horst or call 020 7420 9736 (booking fee applies)