Horst P. Horst said: “Fashion is an expression of the times. Elegance is something else again.”
These words, uttered in 1984, encapsulate a man whose vision of style and elegance cemented him as one of the 20th century’s master photographers.
His work also spanned art, fashion, design, theatre and high society. Now his extraordinary 60-year career is about to be put on display at the V&A museum in London.
One of the images shows Carmen Dell’Orefice, often cited as “the world’s oldest model”, in front of Horst’s 1946 fashion portrait of her.
Other images depict a model in a white bathing suit balancing a large red ball on her feet, the model Muriel Maxwell striking a glamorous pose and a sensual monochrome image of a woman’s stockings entitled “Round the Clock”.
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The exhibition will showcase 250 of his most celebrated photographs alongside sketchbooks, 94 original Vogue covers, never-before-seen footage of him at work and couture gowns from the collections he photographed.
Horst was born Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann in Germany in 1906. He studied in Hamburg and Paris before moving to New York in 1937 and was granted US citizenship in 1943.
With ten rooms and more than 400 objects, the comprehensive collection will showcase the spectrum of Horst’s work in the two cities dearest to his heart: Paris and New York.
Horst: Photographer of Style will be showing at the V&A from Saturday to January 4