The Fahey/Klein Gallery is pleased to present Face the Music: The Legacy of Music Photography. The exhibition celebrates the enduring legacy of music legends who transcended the boundaries of entertainment to become cultural icons.

The exhibition runs from July 25th through September 7th, 2024.

Albert Watson's 'Golden Boy' & 'Lisa Kauffmann, Paris' photographs are featured in The Photography Show Presented by AIPAD 2024.
April 25-28, 2024, at the Holden Luntz Gallery - Booth C-12

Albert Watson photograph “Jack Nicholson, New York City, 1998,” a new interpretation of Albert’s mirror series with Jack, presented as a large-format print on linen at Art Miami 2023, Holden Luntz Gallery booth (AM208), Dec. 5-10, 2023. Albert makes the print (72x95 inches) as an edition of 3, plus one Artist’s Proof.

Albert Watson photograph “Gigi Hadid in Iris van Herpen, New York City, 2019,” featured as a large-format print at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris for the exhibition “Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses,” Nov. 29 to April 28, 2024.

Albert Watson retrospective “The Maestro” is at the Hangaram Museum, Seoul Arts Center, through March 30, 2023. The exhibition features more than 125 of Albert’s prints, from 1967 to 2022, including vintage material, original Polaroids, and video presentations.

We are honored to announce the inclusion of Albert’s prints at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the exhibition “Beauty & Style: The History of Fashion Photography,” Dec. 11 to March 13, 2022. Albert’s prints, including the one of Michael Jackson, will be joined by works by Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin and Erwin Blumenfeld, among other greats of the photo art world.

Founded by Conde Nast in 1920, Vogue Paris is the oldest French fashion magazine still published today, and the only title in the group that bears the name of a city rather than a country. The 1920-2020 exhibition illustrates the magazine’s ability to create, to adapt and to anticipate over the past 100 years. The talent of the great illustrators, and particularly photographers that Vogue Paris has encouraged. Albert Watson's work will be displayed at the show along side other works from Hoyningen-Huene, Horst, Bourdin, Klein, Newton, Lindbergh, Testino, Inez & Vinoodh. The show is open from 10/02/2021 - 01/30/2022.

Albert has an exhibition titled "TWELVE", which includes 12 large prints at the 2021 Photo Vogue Festival in Milan. Albert will also be giving a presentation in Milan on September 23 as a highlight of Milan Fashion Week. The show lasts through the end of September at the Audi City Lab.

SCAD presents 'Albert Watson: The Light Behind the Lens'

The prolific photographer's first U.S. solo museum exhibition opens at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta.

Atlanta, Georgia - The Savannah College of Art and Design is proud to present the exhibition Albert Watson: The Light Behind the Lens at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film. The exhibition (Jan. 21-Sept. 5, 2021) features more than 50 prints curated from Watson's extensive photographic archive that showcase the artist's distinctive style, expert use of light and shadow, and the breadth of his 50-year career.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Watson studied graphic design and film, and credits his success as a photographer to this broad visual education. His photographic career began with his move to Los Angeles in 1970, when he started shooting mostly for fashion magazines and later broadened his work to include celebrity portraiture, beauty, still life and fine art. Since then, Watson has taken some of the most iconic photographs of our time, and his exquisite handmade prints have been displayed in galleries and museums around the world. From Andy Warhol to Kate Moss to Hollywood royalty, Watson's striking photographs have graced more than 100 covers of Vogue worldwide and elite publications such as TIME magazine, Rolling Stone, and Harper's Bazaar.

"I've always been driven by the pursuit of excellence in photography," said Watson, "but also by how I can improve every time I pick up the camera. How can I make that next shot more powerful, more interesting, more beautiful, and, most importantly, more memorable? For a younger generation of artists and photographers, that would be my most important advice: Never be fully satisfied with what you've accomplished. Always strive to improve and never lose your curiosity. Hopefully, these prints of some of my fashion photography will provide inspiration for them and pique their curiosity as they begin their own careers."

Visitors to the museum will view some of Watson's most celebrated works as well as photographs that have never before been publicly exhibited. Watson made all of the prints that will be on display in the exhibition. SCAD students from top-ranked degree programs, including photography, fashion design, advertising, luxury and fashion management, and graphic design, will also have the opportunity to interact with the artist through virtual exhibition tours, conversations, and other future programming.

"It is a great honor for SCAD to collaborate on an exhibition dedicated to one of the most influential photographers of all time," said Rafael Gomes, director of fashion exhibitions at SCAD. "SCAD FASH is presenting a variety of work depicting Watson's unique photographic view, sublime composition, and light control — all curated from the artist's vast personal archive and printed by the master himself. These photographs will provide such inspiration and insight for our SCAD students and alumni, allowing the chance to view work by a true living creative legend. "

For more information on Albert Watson: The Light Behind the Lens, visit scadfash.org.

Scotland has a history as a rugged land that fosters hard work, a spirit of independence and a strong connection to the environment. It is often remarked as ‘a hearty place for hearty souls.’ We are lucky enough to represent three photographers who have influenced contemporary photography and are products of a Scottish lineage. In this exhibition, “Three Great Scots” Harry Benson, Albert Watson and David Yarrow have produced three quite distinct acclaimed bodies of work.

Albert Watson has had a multifaceted career. He has become one of the most recognizable names in contemporary photography – and has spread his talent between fashion, advertising, portraiture, beauty, and fine art image-making. Albert studied film and graphic design, along with photography, at the Royal College of Art in London, and credits his success to this broad visual education. He spent his early days as a professional photographer in Hollywood in 1970s, mostly shooting for fashion magazines before earning wider acclaim for celebrity portraits, including of Alfred Hitchcock, and later for beauty shots of super models, including Kate Moss and Christy Turlington. He has photographed more than 100 covers of Vogue worldwide through the decades, and close to 50 covers of Rolling Stone magazine, along with countless other publications. He has also photographed dozens of well-known album covers for rock stars and rappers. He won a Grammy in 1975 for best album art, and Queen Elizabeth II awarded him an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for his lifetime contributions to the art of photography. Watson also has spent much of his career on personal projects, deriving inspiration from the visual arts, science and the natural world, fashion, and notable cultural figures in creating powerful, strong and unpredictable photographs. He has an intuitive, learned eye and has not allowed himself to be limited to any one aesthetic, with a graphically powerful style and an expert use of light and shadow. From landscapes of the Isle of Skye in Scotland, to NASA spacesuits, to artifacts from King Tut’s tomb, to movie stars, to major ad and fashion campaigns, Watson’s originality and freedom to use the subject itself as his inspiration has kept his pictures from being traditional or stylized. Watson challenges us to draw an ever-elusive line between commercial and fine art photography.

It may seem simplistic to think that a specific country can manifest itself in the work of 3 very dissimilar photographers. But, nationality has become a convenient starting point to be able to showcase work by three truly outstanding photographers. They have all developed independence, and a deep determination to be the best at what they do. Their work, collectively and individually has expanded the potential impact of photography. Benson, Watson, and Yarrow have a common strength and seemingly spontaneous ability to create dynamic pictures standing the test of time, and acting as windows opening up into a larger world.

Albert has entered an agreement with Sade and Sony Music for the reproduction of his two album covers ("Love Deluxe" and "Lovers Rock") on T-shirts available to buy exclusively at www.sade.com. Albert is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from his commission on the sales to Youth Represent, which helps teenagers and young adults affected by the criminal legal system. To learn more about Youth Represent, visit their website at www.youthrepresent.org

'Albert Watson's Isle of Skye series is featured as Holden Luntz Gallery's Photo Spotlight.

The fourth exhibition by the two guest curators Stefan Zweifel and Juri Steiner at the Swiss National Museum in Zurich takes a stroll through the European cultural history of mankind. One of Albert's prints from his series of Sergei Polunin, one of the world's preeminent ballet dancers, is featured in the exhibition “The Exhausted Man,"from Oct. 16-Jan. 10, 2021.

The new David Bowie album titled "CHANGESNOWBOWIE" will feature Albert Watson's photo as the album cover. The portrait is from a "Surreal" series Albert did with Bowie in New York City in 1996.
"CHANGESNOWBOWIE" is a nine-track session recorded for radio and broadcast by the BBC on Bowie’s 50th birthday on January 8, 1997. This mostly acoustic session was a stripped back affair featuring some of Bowie’s favorites of his own compositions and was produced by Bowie himself, Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati.

The Albert Watson Photography Studio is proud to announce the purchase by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles of a collection of Albert’s modern, platinum, and vintage gelatin silver prints for its permanent collection. The seven prints acquired by the museum include "Naomi Campbell, Palm Springs, California, 1989," as a vintage gelatin silver print; "Kate Moss (Back), Marrakech, Morocco, 1993," as a platinum print; "Monkey with Gun, New York City, 1992," as a vintage gelatin silver print; and "Abas Chaeai, Snake Charmer, Marrakech, 1997," as a vintage gelatin silver print.

In addition to being one of the world’s preeminent photographers, Albert is known as a master print-maker, and still makes every one of his prints himself in his studio, as he has been doing since the 1960s. Esteemed art critic Francis Hodgson, writing a full-page review of Albert for the Financial Times of London, called the prints “astonishing."

The Getty Department of Photographs, established in 1984, boasts one of the finest and most comprehensive photography collections in the world.

The collection is particularly rich in works dating from the time of photography’s invention in England and France in the late 1830s and early 1840s. International in scope, it encompasses substantial holdings by some of the most significant masters of the twentieth century active in Europe, the United States, South America, Asia, and Africa. Notable among artists represented are William Henry Fox Talbot, Julia Margaret Cameron, Carleton Watkins, Walker Evans, August Sander, and Robert Mapplethorpe. The collection is also the only curatorial area in the Museum that extends into the twenty-first century with contemporary acquisitions.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is now exhibiting a show titled PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet. This show is a comprehensive collection of contact sheets, including works by Albert Watson as well as Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Harry Benson, Harry Callahan, Robert Frank, Philippe Halsman, Irving Penn.

CAMERA WORK will be exhibiting Albert Watsons photographs in Berlin from November 23, 2019 to January 18, 2020. The exhibition of Albert Watson includes more than 40 works, including numerous iconic main works. In addition, the exhibition presents new artworks that have never been exhibited before. Many pieces are exclusively for sale at CAMERA WORK.

Albert had the opportunity to photograph new works by Iris Van Herpen, which will be featured in an upcoming book published by Phaidon.

Albert Watsons works will be featured in TOKYOGRAPHIE 2019, a traveling photography exhibit that is part of KYOTOGRAPHIE Photo Festival 2019. TOKYOGRAPHIE will take place at the Fujifilm Square in Tokyo from Nov. 29 to Dec. 12.

Susanne Bartsch is an event producer whose monthly parties at the Copacabana in the late 1980s united the haute and demi-monde, and made her an icon of New York nightlife. "Ms. Bartsch's name", according to The New York Times, is the nightlife equivalent of a couture label, thanks to the numerous extravaganzas she staged in cities from Montreal to Miami.

Venezia Photo 2019 is an international creative and professional event focusing on photography training. Albert is a featured photographer teaching workshops at the festival, along with Erwin Olaf, Paolo Roversi, Vincent Peters, Nicolas Gurin, and many more.

In his workshop, Albert Watson will show students his techniques for taking a classic powerful portrait, from beginning to end. He will discuss such technical details as lighting, camera choice and focus, to more philosophical aspects of photography, such as the goals when taking a specific portrait, and tips on how to interact with the subject. Albert’s intent will be to encourage students to use some of his basic recommendations, but to use their own approach to create a unique style. Albert will guide students not only through the taking of a portrait, but will discuss the retouching and editing process, along with seeing the photography all the way through to final prints.

The new Pirelli calendar, starring the likes of Misty Copeland and Gigi Hadid, imagines some of today's most famous women as ambitious artists pursuing their dreams, as seen through the lens of seasoned celebrity photographer Albert Watson.

Where past photographers have staged scenes of sex and debauchery, Watson, who is known for his cinematic gaze, chose instead to "show women who were dreaming of things."

"The Pirelli calendar was, at the bottom roots, a pinup calendar for mechanics when they changed tires," Watson said at his vast Manhattan studio last month.

Albert Watson is a featured photographer in the upcoming exhibition at the KYOTOGRAPHIE 2019 International Photography Festival. The exhibition will be open from April 13, 2019- May 12, 2019.

Alberts 54 lessons cover all of his iconic photography, including his portraiture, landscapes, still life, fashion, beauty, erotic and nude work. Albert will explain to you his methods and techniques all of these lessons and inspire you using simple terms in an easy to understand way. This course is suitable for all levels. Click thumbnail for more informaiton.

Albert Watson was a keynote speaker at the Adobe Max Conference in Los Angeles on October 16, 2018. Click thumbnail to see video of his presentation.

It was always going to be a loaded Pirelli year.

After all, the pinup calendar (“the cal”) that made its name by framing soft-core skin shots in the aura of artistic expression and exclusivity has been engaged in something of a four-year effort to recast itself, after 50 years, as an socially conscious photographic statement.

It began in 2015, when Annie Leibovitz was called in to rethink the 2016 edition and decided to cast an assortment of high-achieving women, including Ava DuVernay and Agnes Gund, in almost entirely clothed portraits to reflect the rise of the “shero.”

That was followed by a calendar featuring Peter Lindbergh’s portraits of celebrities of all ages, including Helen Mirren, then 71, in their full, un-airbrushed, truth-in-appearance glory. Tim Walker photographed the next one, reimagining “Alice in Wonderland” with an entirely African-American cast, as styled by Edward Enninful, the first African-American editor of British Vogue.

And then Harvey Weinstein happened, and then MeToo happened, and then there were more women running for office in the United States than ever before, and then it was impossible not to wonder what Pirelli would do next.

Going back was not a possibility (Victoria’s Secret, which attempted to spin its ladies-in-undies show with no changes as about women’s empowerment, has seen a marked drop in sales this year). The calendar was born in the sexual revolution. Now that we are in the midst of another kind of sexual revolution, it would need, at least theoretically, to reflect that reality. The question was how?

This week the answer was, at least partly, unveiled. No pun intended.

“I didn’t want to take a bunch of models down to the beach and have them take their tops off,” said Albert Watson, the 75-year-old Scottish photographer behind the 2019 calendar. Mr. Watson is one of the most lauded image -makers of his generation, as famous for his Vogue covers as he is for his portraits of Alfred Hitchcock with a dead goose and Tupac Shakur with a gun. “It seemed old-fashioned,” he said. “I was more interested in telling the stories of four different women.”

You can see why Pirelli thought he’d be the right man to take the calendar another step in the statement direction. Except it ended up being more of a chass to the side.

The topic this time around is dreamers. The problem is, they are not the kind of dreamers the current news cycle, and Pirelli’s recent penchant for top-button topics, may lead you to believe. There’s social subtext to be sure, but it’s low frequency.

(Click on thumbnail to read full article.)

Albert Watson. Fashion, Portraits & Landscapes – Pictures from the Blumarine archive

Published by Marsilio Editori, the catalogue presents a meaningful selection from the exhibition Albert Watson. Fashion, Portraits & Landscapes – Pictures from the Blumarine archive, hosted in the fascinating venue at Palazzo dei Pio Museums in Carpi (Italy). Indeed, Blumarine provided the museum with more than a hundred images exclusively taken by the Scottish photographer from the brand’s multimedia archive. Leafing through the pages of the catalogue is like being led through a suggestive journey into ten year of Albert Watson’s work for the advertising campaigns he carried out for the brand between the ‘80s and the ‘90s.

Watson, who took more than 100 covers of Vogue (by the way, he is going to shoot the 2019 Pirelli Calendar) and portrayed celebrities, Alfred Hitchcock, Steve Jobs and Michael Jackson, to name a few, also shot numerous campaigns for major world fashion houses, embodying the image of the elegance of recent decades thanks to his unique visual language.

While interviewed by L’Oeil de la Photographie on his photographic style, Albert Watson explains:

“I’ve a graphic design training and attended a film school, so in my images one can notice the graphic technique in addition to the gaze of the filmmaker. As a film director, I learned how to communicate and to work with people and as a graphic designer I got composition as a natural part of my creative work. So looking at my work, people say it’s graphics, it’s filmatic or a combination of the two resulting in graphically strong images with a film look: the filmatic graphic, as I call it. And then there is the idea, the concept, that stands behind all my photos.When you see these things together, that’s me”.

How important is creative freedom?

I’ve always had a passion for photography, which means I’m happy while shooting (no matter what the subject). A photographer always looks for creative freedom: that’s the key. Still, when working as a professional, one also has a commitment to the client, while trying to stay true to his own style. Blumarine gave me that artistic freedom: it was like having an empty canvas to be filled, with concept, fashion suggestions and the flavor of each location.

As for the exhibit in Carpi (historical headquarter of Anna Molinari’s maison), it displayed b&w prints, fotocolor and proofs, retracing the work of Watson, when he carried out twelve campaigns for Blumarine. The catalogue, includes texts by Albert Watson, Manuela Rossi, Luca Panaro and Anna Molinari and offers a comprehensive view on the concept of the namesake exhibition, curated by Panaro, conceived and produced by Palazzo dei Pio Museums with Carpi Fashion System and Blumarine and Fondazione CR Carpi.

"I was given a fixed lens camera as a present for my twenty-first birthday. It was a bolt out of the blue, a revelation. I was struck and I immediately understood my way. I still use that camera." This is how Albert Watson tells of his encounter with photography.

The 2019 Pirelli Calendar will be by Albert Watson, one of the most influential photographers of all time, famed for his unique and powerful style, characterised by a technical virtuosity which is hard to equal.

Over four decades of photographic history, he has left a durable and persistent mark in the best tradition of exemplary, clear and compelling representation which invites to reflect and mediate through contemplation. In hundreds of magazine covers and portraits, he has celebrated personalities from all backgrounds, all walks of life and all personalities in persistent and strongly iconographic manner and in photo shoots for the most prestigious magazines worldwide he has told extraordinary stories and defined the perception of diverse worlds, symbols and objects.

Watson is a true contemporary master. His photography is one in which the concepts of reality, creativity and ingenuity are told with a sharp style and outstanding technical mastery. He loves talking about his pictures saying that his photographs may be graphic, purely conceptual or in motion but when they are fixed they look like the frames of a film, part and synthesis of a story but often succeed in being all this at once.

ALBERT WATSON portraits featured in Masthead magazine.

Albert Watson photographs and an introduction he wrote in the new book “The Eye,” celebrating the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, where Albert has had two exhibitions. The museum is soon to open locations in New York and London.

https://niche.style/news/the-eye-by-fotografiska-foreword-by-albert-watson-to-be-published-by-teneues-in-may-2018/

What makes Albert Watson one of the world’s most revered photographers, hailed by peers, critics, and collectors alike? Is it his unparalleled portfolio of celebrity portraits? Breathtaking landscapes? Sensual nudes, still lifes, illustrious fashion shoots?

KAOS presents a kaleidoscopic overview of Watson’s career to date and the dazzling array of subjects, objects, people, and places he has encountered along the way. A skillfully curated survey of a uniquely diverse, dynamic portfolio, it spans nearly half a century of photography to encounter stars, statesmen, women, and strangers; bound through neon-blazing cities; find figures poised, gymnastic, or shimmering with nude eroticism; roam the bright lights and the backstreets; soak up extravagant sunsets; enter the controlled studio environment; and breathe in the elemental wilds of the photographer’s native Scotland.

From Watson’s breakthrough portrait of Alfred Hitchcock for the Christmas 1973 edition of Harper’s Bazaar to a 2016 shot of Kanye West, each photograph reverberates with tightly coiled power, tension, and poetry. Whether it’s a portrait of a Las Vegas dominatrix, Elvis’s gold suit, a chimpanzee, or a street scene in China, Watson excels in capturing the surface seamlessly and probing its myriad depths. Along the way, his celebrity portraiture, including the likes of David Bowie, Jay Z, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Jack Nicholson, Steve Jobs, and Andy Warhol, shows a particular interest in the private person behind the iconic faade.

This remarkable collection is accompanied by an essay from the recently retired head of photographs at Christie’s, Philippe Garner, and extensive quotes from Watson, as well as dozens of previously unpublished Polaroids, culled from Watson’s personal archives. The result is a defining document of the “photographer’s photographer,” iridescent in its graphic, often cinematic allure, and irresistible in its eclectic glory.

Collector’s Edition of 1,000 copies (No. 201-1,200), each numbered and signed by Albert Watson.

Also available as four signed Art Editions (No. 1–200), all with a signed print.

Albert Watson will receive the prestigious FOTOmentor Award during FOTOfusion 2017 in Palm Beach, Fla., to honor his lifetime achievement in the art of photography.

Each year, the Palm Beach Photography Centre Awards Committee selects a photographer to receive the FOTOmentor Award. The award will be presented along with other prestigious awards at the Annual FOTOFusion Awards Dinner, Jan. 26.

ALBERT WATSON has made his mark as one of the world’s most successful and prolific photographers blending art, fashion and commercial photography into stunning images that are extraordinary. Named one of the 20 most influential photographers of all time by industry bible, Photo District News, among his numerous honors is an Order of the British Empire (OBE) granted by Queen Elizabeth II, and the Centenary Medal of the Royal Photographic Society, both for his lifetime achievements and contributions to photography, and Grammy, ANDY, Lucie and Hasselblad Master Awards. His distinctive images and iconic celebrity portraits have been featured in countless international publications, including 100 Vogue covers, in galleries and museums worldwide, in advertising campaigns for major corporations, and many movie posters, while he has directed over 100 TV commercials and published five books. Watson’s unique visual language and single minded commitment to perfection have made him a world renowned photographic master.

Previous recipients include distinguished photographers:

Ruth Bernhardt
Bill Eppridge
Elliott Erwitt
Lawrence Gartel
Ralph Gibson
Walter Iooss Jr.
Michael Kenna
David Hume Kennerly
Robert Glenn Ketchum
Douglas Kirkland
John Loengard
Duane Michals
Ralph Morse
David Muench
James Nachtwey
Arrnold Newman
Gordon Parks
Sebastiao Salgado
Evon Streetman
David Turnley
David Rubinger
Joyce Tenneson
Albert Watson
Art Wolfe

Albert Watson will be the first Western photographer to show his work at the new Lianzhou Photography Museum in China, with a solo exhibition opening Dec. 7, 2017.

ICONIC Scottish photographer Albert Watson has told of his "shock" at being been awarded an OBE.

Edinburgh-born Watson, who has shot more than 100 covers for Vogue and 40 covers for Rolling Stone magazine, was among several high-profile Scots recognized in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours.

"First of all it was a great shock," Watson told the Sunday Herald yesterday, from his home in America. "We only heard about it two weeks ago and were sworn to secrecy...We had already organized a party and it was seven o'clock [in New York], when the embargo was lifted, that's how we were able to announce it at the party. Everyone was very excited. It's another OBE for Scotland, which of course, is very nice."

He added: "I had no idea about this award. When I received the call from the [British] embassy I thought the initial call was about photographing a trade delegation that was here."

Watson, who is blind in one eye, studied graphic design at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee and film and television at the Royal College of Art in London.

In 1970 Watson moved to the United States with his wife. The same year he produced two shots for Max Factor which caught the attention of American and European fashion magazines.

His photography has been since been used in major advertising campaigns for fashion brands such as Prada, Levi's, Revlon and Chanel.

His most famous portrait is of Alfred Hitchcock holding up a plucked goose for the 1973 Christmas cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine.

He was the official Royal Photographer for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's wedding in 1986, and is also noted for his work for the National Theatre of Scotland's productions of Macbeth and Let the Right One In.

He has received many awards during the last four decades of his career including a Grammy and a lifetime achievement award from the Royal Photographic Society, but Watson said he felt his OBE was a "very British" achievement.

His most recent exhibition ended in May this year at the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow.

There are now plans for an exhibition in Chelsea, New York, in September this year which will include his landscape photography taken on the Isle of Skye.