FILM STILLS. FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY BY DENIS PIEL

About

The exhibition features around fifty iconic photographs that have been taken for the leading fashion magazines in the USA and Europe: Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair.

The exhibition focuses on the 1980s – the climax of Piel’s career ­­­­­– and highlights his innovative cinematic approach to fashion photography. Denis Piel was born in France in 1944, brought up in Australia, where in 1966 he founded his first photography studio. During the 1970s he worked between Paris, London and Milan, making fashion shoots and advertising campaigns. In 1979, noticed by the legendary editor of Condé Nast Alexander Liberman, Denis moved to New York and was offered an exclusive contract with Condé Nast, an agreement reserved for a select few such as Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. Over the decade he shot more than 1000 editorial speads and covers for the leading fashion magazines in the USA, Germany, Italy, France, UK. Many of these images have become universally recognizable, iconic fashion photographs of the 80s. A. Liberman pointed out: “Denis Piel is one of the great photographers working today... He has bought to fashion photography an extraordinary fresh eye and has been able to translate the life of the modern woman as no other photographer has been able to do before”.

Denis Piel’s camera captured models who in the 1980s became real stars of the time. These include: Brooke Shields, Christy Turlington, Rachel Williams, Lara Naszinsky, Nancy Donahue, Gia Carangi, Kelly Le Brock, Joan Severance, Joanna Pacula, and many more. Piel’s woman is particularly sensual and emotional, often captured on film at a private, intimate moment. This makes her more real and attractive. However, Denis Piel has always been more interested in models who were or could become actresses at the fashion shoot, and did not just follow the photographer’s instructions. Exhibition will also feature sessions with Uma Thurman, Andie MacDowell, Goldie Hawn, Nastassja Kinski, Charlotte Rampling, Jamie Lee Curtis and many others. The series with a 16-year-old Uma Thurman is remarkable by the fact that it happened to be the first professional photo shoot of the young actress.

Denis Piel will take part at the opening reception in Moscow and will hold an artist’s talk for the audience.