Herb Ritts: L.A. Style

by Paul Martineau, James Crump (Contributor)

Herb L.A. Style traces the life and career of the iconic photographer through a compelling selection of renowned, as well as previously unpublished, photographs and two insightful essays. Herb Ritts (1952–2002) was a Los Angeles-based photographer who established an international reputation for distinctive images of fashion models, nudes, and celebrity portraits. During the 1980s and 1990s, Ritts was sought out by leading fashion designers such as Armani, Gianfranco Ferrè, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Valentino, and Versace, as well as magazine editors from GQ, Interview, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair, among others, to lend glamour to their products and layouts. Largely self-taught, Ritts developed his own style, one that often made use of the California light and landscape and helped to separate his work from his New York-based peers. From the late 1970s until his untimely death from AIDS in 2002, Ritts’s ability to create photographs that successfully bridged the gap between art and commerce was not only a testament to the power of his imagination and technical skill, but also marked the synergistic union between art, popular culture, and business that followed in the wake of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. An exhibition of the same name will be on view at the Getty Center from April 3 through August 12, 2012; at the Cincinnati Art Museum from October 6 through December 30, 2012; and at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, from February 23 through May 19, 2013.

Genres: Photography, Art

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2012

Reviews

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of well made photos as demonstrated by Ritts' photography history.

[Jovita Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfection.

[Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

begins with background info about photog and his interests, male and female, some bare skin, advertising and magazine covers, RIP.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first learned of Herb Ritts in 1986, when I purchased Madonna's "True Blue" on vinyl. The stunning cover image caught my eye, as would happen regularly with his images in the years following.

Ritts was known for his celebrity portraits, black and white nudes, and fashion photography. As an awkward American teen in the 1980s and '90s, even I took notice of his rise in popularity. It was difficult not to -- his images were breathtaking in their supposed simplicity. His advertising images were unlike those of others. And his music videos, including "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, and "Love will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson, were exquisite examples of the medium. The latter remains one of my favorite music videos of all time.

Still, it was easy to forget about Herb Ritts. After his death in 2002, I was no longer seeing his work in magazines, advertisements, music videos, or newly published monographs.

And then I had the pleasure of viewing "Herb Ritts: Beauty and Celebrity" at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 2013. And I was reminded all over again why I had taken notice of that first image in 1986. In large format, and together as an exhibition, one is overwhelmed by the sheer beauty.

This book includes 150 plates, an essay about his life and career, and an essay detailing his sources of inspiration and place within the world of modern photography.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning.

[Phil Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding photography