Peter Lindbergh has died at the age of 74. The news of his death, which occurred on Sept. 3, was announced via the legendary photographer's Instagram account [1] alongside one of his black-and-white photographs. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Peter Lindbergh on September 3rd, 2019, at the age of 74," the caption reads. "He is survived by his wife Petra, his first wife Astrid, his four sons Benjamin, Jérémy, Simon, Joseph and seven grandchildren. He leaves a big void." No further details regarding cause of death have been revealed at this time.
Born in Lissa (Germany) in 1944 [2], Lindbergh is considered to be one of the most influential photographers of our time. His narrative, cinematic photographic style was not only beloved by the fashion world — his black-and-white photographs came to define the Supermodel era of the 1990s — but also the art world. Lindbergh images be seen in the permanent collections of fine arts museums around the world, including the Victoria & Albert in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
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The humanist and timeless quality of Lindbergh's work is one of the reasons he enjoyed such a long and varied career. "Refusing to bow to glossy perfection is Peter Lindbergh's trademark, the essence of the images that look into each person's unvarnished soul, however familiar or famous the sitter," British fashion journalist Suzy Menkes once said of Lindbergh's images.
In addition to the photographs he created for fashion magazines like of magazines like Vogue , Visionaire, W, Interview, and Harper's Bazaar, he also directed films and music videos (including George Michael's iconic "Freedom 90" video). Known best for his simple, revealing portraits, he also photographed rock stars, actors, and ballet dancers for magazines like The New Yorker, Vanity Fair , Rolling Stone , and the Wall Street Journal.
Image Source: British Vogue / Peter Lindbergh
Lindbergh most recently photographed all of the women featured on the cover for British Vogue's September 2019 issue edited by Meghan Markle [5], the Duchess of Sussex, however, it was his iconic image of supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell [6], Cindy Crawford [7], Christy Turlington, and Tatjana Patitz, for the January 1990 cover of British Vogue's that has endured, and continue to endure, in people's minds for decades to come.
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