There are photographers who have marked our age. These are the men who created the images and photos which we carry along in our subconscience. Peter Lindbergh was such a photographer. He created images of raw elegance and beauty of the modern woman, self assured, with a touch of androgynity in their feminine appearance, and elevated his female subjects in front of his lens to iconic models. We all know them, when we hear their names: Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Helena Christensen. Iconic models as you never saw them before and much more in the “Untold Stories” exhibition, celebrating the unique photographic work of Peter Lindbergh.
Text Hans Knol ten Bensel – Pictures Hans Knol ten Bensel and Anja Van Der Borght
Thanks to the involvement and support of the city and the collaboration of the Peter Lindbergh Foundation, these unpublished photos, videos and large formats will be on display for four months in the Espace Vanderborght in Brussels.
In September 2019, Peter Lindbergh put down his camera for the last time, but of course his vast work had to be conserved. So before his death, Peter Lindbergh created a foundation. Since then, the Peter Lindbergh Foundation continues to promote his photographic heritage, notably through the “Untold Stories” exhibition, initially conceived in collaboration with the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf.
The City of Brussels now took the laudable initiative to host this Untold Stories exhibition, until May 14, at the Espace Vanderborght in Brussels. The exhibition represents his artistic vision that was built and nurtured through four decades of work, encounters and creativity. In the making of this photographic ‘untold story’, Lindbergh spent every day for three years researching, editing, and assembling photos that would open up new interpretations and create a sense of surprise.
Unseen masterpieces…
The exhibition, which runs at the Espace Vanderborght over not less than three floors of this impressive building, Untold Stories unveils more than 150 works freely associated by the author to create a mise en abyme and a dialogue between the photos, superimposing the person who discovers, the person who poses and the person who is just passing by.
The exhibition also includes barely known or completely unpublished photos with the artist’s most iconic shots. Through his gripping portraits and his aesthetic sense Peter Lindbergh helped elevate fashion photography to the rank of art. A must for every art lover.
Fans can take souvenirs of the exhibition back home in the shape of t-shirts, post cards and this amazing book: Untold Stories.
Practical info: The exhibition runs until May 14, 2023.. Open Wednesday & Thursday: 11 AM to 7 PM , Friday 11 AM to 9 PM, Saturday & Sunday 10 AM to 7 PM, www.peterlindbergh-brussels.com/en