Steven Klein appears dauntless in the imagery he wants to create of men, both suggestive and sensual, nearly decadent …


Steven Klein is one of today’s most trendy photographers in New York. A graduate of the Rhodes Island School of Design, he has photographed advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Gucci, Trussardi, Roberto Cavali, Bally, Furla, Air France, Alexander Mac Queen...
His sometimes disturbing images have been published in magazines such as W, i-D, The Face, Vogue, Dutch, Details and Visionaire. In the beginning of the 1990’s, Steven Klein built his reputation on a relatively provocative photographic style. This was clearly visible in the pictures he took of certain celebrities, including the British football player David Beckham and Brad Pitt. The actor was portrayed as a contemporary hero wearing a woman’s clothing.

Similarly to the photographer Bruce Weber, known for pictures of beautiful teens with exacerbated sexuality, Steven Klein seems equally dauntless in the imagery he creates of men. Both suggestive and sensual, nearly decadent, Steven Klein has had a tremendous influence on men’s fashion photography. Far from preserving classical, traditional beauty, his photographs favor expressive bodies in incongruous positions and bright color contrasts. His images have a nearly Baroque beauty that cultivates ambiguity.

The uncommon images of Steven Klein represent a point of contact between contemporary art and tabloid photoreporting insofar as both break away from traditional images of beauty. The (euphoric) 1980’s were marked by a decade of prospering stock markets, a cult of the superior model and the body seen as an object of desire. They were followed by a more critical period, especially with respect to physical appearance, which became more realistic with all its imperfections and ambivalences. Steven Klein took advantage of this decade to emerge as a rising photographer.

Today, Steven Klein lives and works in New-York. He is one of the most sought-after photographers and his fashion photographs appear regularly in American, Italian and French editions of Vogue. His personal photographs have been shown in exhibits in Tokyo, Milan and New York.

www.stevenkleinstudio.com