BIOGRAPHY
The adventure begins with Hélène Lazareff in 1959.
She returns from New York to take over the new magazine "Femina".
Peter Knapp was only 28 years old when she offered him the artistic direction of the magazine “ELLE”.
Complete artist : painter, graphic designer, scenographer, filmmaker and photographer, he will revolutionize fashion photography.
When he is not behind his lens, he brings in big names in photography, from Jeanloup Sieff to Sarah Moon.
His style is characterized by great graphic rigor, a legacy of the Bahaus taught during his art studies in Zurich. The line dominates. He also pronounces the word photographic in two stages, Photo & Graphics.
In his work he proceeds to a simplification, removes the perspective, the volume.
He says: "In fact, I always start from a simple thing to arrive at less".
We have chosen to show the first fashion photos from 1960 to 1980.
From the geometric black and white of the Courrèges era (1965) to the colorful scenographies of Montana (1978).
At times, fashion and the model become secondary, the main one being pictorial research.
EXHIBITIONS
2018
- Dancing in the Street. Peter Knapp et la Mode 1960-1970, Cité de la mode et du design, Paris, France
2017
- Quand la photographie de mode devient art, galerie Berthet-Aittouarès, Paris, France
2016
- L’homme est partout, Fondation Carzou, Manosque, France
- L’homme est partout, Fondation Stämpfli, Barcelona, Spain
2014
- Rio sur Seine, Musée d’art et d’histoire, Saint-Denis, France
- Galerie Artpassions, Geneva, Switzerland
- Elles. 101 regards sur les femmes, Musée des Suisses, Geneva, Switzerland
2012
- L’écriture ou la vie de Jorge Semprun, Galerie Baudoin Lebon, Paris, France
- Profil de l’eau, avec Rafael Navarro, Galerie Baudoin Lebon, Paris, France
2009
- Tinguely Museum, Basel, Switzerland
- Nicéphore Niépce Museum, Chalon-sur-Saône, France
- Maison Giacometti, Stampa, Suisse
2008
- Maison européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France
- Galerie FIAF (French Institute – Alliance Française), New York, USA
- Galerie Beyeler, Klosters-Serneus, Switzerland
- Transfotografia, Gdansk, Poland
2006
- Il n’y avait pas que du mazout, Galerie Baudoin Lebon, Paris, France
2005
- La couleur de ma peau,, Carreau d’Art, Cergy-Pontoise, France
2002
- Minuit à Fécamp, French Institute of Marrakech, Morocco
1993-1996
- Photos d’elles. Temps de pose : 1950-1990, Centre de la photographie et Halels de l’Ile, Geneva, Switzerland
- EPA Maison Gérard Philippe, Cergy-Pontoise, France
- Musée des tissus, Lyon, France
- Synkiria 96, Thessaloniki Design Museum, Greece
1992
- Ceps de vigne, Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry, Margaux, France
- Musée, Brive-la-Gaillarde, France
- 35 maculations sur Alberto Giacometti, Galerie Littmann, Basel, Switzerland
1991
- Galerie Europe, Geneva, Switzerland
- Comme des oiseaux, Magasin Jelmoli, Zurich, Switzerland
- Anges et démons, Galerie Juan Guaita, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- Porte de la Suisse, Paris, France
- Centre d’art contemporain, Besançon, France
- Institut culturel italien, Lyon, France
1990
- Le grand maquillage, Art Expo, Tokyo, Japan
- Ex-Photos, Paris Art Center, Paris, France
- Art Transition, MIT, Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Boston, USA
1989
- Souvenirs. Crépuscules, Swiss cultural center, Paris, France
- 7 situations d’art, FRAC Franche-Comté, Musée de Belfort, France
1988
- Drapeaux, Galerie Europe, Paris, France
- Black Horses, Kunsthalle, Berlin, Germany
- Ex-corpus, Centre for Photography, Geneva, Switzerland
- Aéro-Flag, Swiss cultural center, Paris, France
1987
- Sky-Art, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dôle, France
- Salon de Montrouge, Montrouge, France
- Photos de commande et autres, Bochum Museum, Bochum, Germany
1986
- Paris-Zurich. 17 Photographies en plein Vol, Atelier des Forges, Arles, France
- Espace et Image, Paris Art Center, Paris, France
1984
- 300 images N/N 1960-1980. Les Ciels, Galerie Portfolio, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Aéroglyphes, Galerie Denise René, Paris, France
COLLECTIONS
Centre for Photography Geneva, Switzerland
L'Huillier's collection, Geneva, Switzerland
Fondation for swiss photography, Winterthour, Switzerland
Zurich Plastics Arts Fund, Lausanne, Switzerland
Musée Nicéphore-Niépce, Chalon-sur-Saône, France