Chris Buck (born July 29, 1964) is a New York-based photographer known for his unconventional portraits.
Early life and career
Buck grew up in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke where his father, George Buck worked for
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
Canada, giving him an early connection to photography. He attended
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
where he majored in Photographic Arts. During this time he was a photo editor for ''Nerve'', a Toronto monthly music paper, released 3 compilation cassettes of original music with Canadian and American bands with Materials + Processes, and briefly managed experimental rock group Violence & The Sacred.
Buck studied at Ryerson under noted street photographer Dave Heath and media critic
Murray Pomerance
Murray Pomerance is an independent Canadian film scholar and author living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and adjunct professor in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, Melbourne.
Career
Pomerance was born in 1946 in Hamilton, On ...
, both of whom continued as mentors in the years after his graduation. He moved to New York in 1990 and has since shot many important magazine and advertising photographs.
Photographs and work
Buck's move to New York in 1990 focused on magazine portrait work, and began a slow progression in the prominence of his celebrity sitters and the stature of his clients. His photography is currently most associated with '' GQ'', ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
Saturday'', and ''
The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...
''.
Since the late 1990s Buck has photographed a number of commercial campaigns, for
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
,
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
,
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
,
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
,
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
,
Old Spice
Old Spice is an American brand of male grooming products encompassing aftershaves, deodorants and antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, and soaps. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble.
Old Spice was launched as Early American Old Spice by W ...
, and
TD Bank
Toronto-Dominion Bank (french: links=no, Banque Toronto-Dominion), doing business as TD Bank Group (french: links=no, Groupe Banque TD), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. T ...
.
His most recognized portraits include those of
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominated ...
,
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American actor and comedian. Farley was known for his loud, energetic comedic style, and was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and later a cast member of the ...
,
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
,
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
, and
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
. Buck has also photographed many American politicians, including Presidents
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
,
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
,
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. Buck has directed several videos for clients, such as '' GQ'', ''Wired'',
SAP SE
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a sepa ...
,
Oscar Mayer
Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut producer known for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon, ham, and Lunchables products. The company is a subsidiary of the Kraft Heinz Company and based in Chicago, Illinois.
History Early years
German immigr ...
, and
Viagra
Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unclear if it is effective for treating sexual dysfunction in women. It is taken by ...
.
In the spring and summer of 2015 Buck chronicled the adventures and eventual demise of a 3D figurine of himself. The series, called ''Likeness'', included 141 photos and videos released daily on his Instagram account. 56 of the images were included in a limited edition artist book of the series.
Notable and newsworthy
In the spring of 2010, photos he took for a Diesel ad campaign that encouraged consumers to "Be Stupid" led to some public outcry and heated editorials. Some ads were banned in the UK. The campaign won the Grand Prix for outdoor at the
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (formerly the International Advertising Festival) is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of the ...
.
In August 2011 Buck became the center of a controversy when his ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' cover photo of presidential candidate
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann (; née Amble; born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party, she was a candidate for President of the United States in the 20 ...
caused a media stir. The photo even spawned a hate page titled "Meet Chris Buck, the a-hole who took the
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann (; née Amble; born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party, she was a candidate for President of the United States in the 20 ...
Newsweek photo." The image prompted a comment from
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...
and spawned several internet memes.
The May 2017 ''
O, The Oprah Magazine
''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications.
Overview
It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...
'' focused on race in America, featuring Chris Buck's pictures depicting a flip of societal roles. The viral photos led to interviews with Buck in the ''Huffington Post'', CNN, and Mic.com.
Books
In 2012 Buck's first monograph, ''Presence: The Invisible Portrait'' was released by German publisher
Kehrer Verlag
Kehrer Verlag is an art book publisher based in Heidelberg, Germany, specializing in photography, fine art, and sound art. Its books are produced in cooperation with Kehrer Design, the affiliated office for design and image processing.
History
T ...
. ''Presence'' features 50 portraits in which the celebrity subjects are fully hiding, and therefore are not visible in the photographs. The book garnered press coverage worldwide, as well as receiving some awards.
In early 2017 Buck published ''Uneasy: Chris Buck Portraits 1986-2016'', a monograph of his celebrity pictures, with 338 portraits and 129 stories behind the pictures. There is also an introduction by
Sheila Heti
Sheila Heti (; born 25 December 1976) is a Canadian writer.
Early life
Sheila Heti was born on 25 December 1976 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her parents are Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Her brother is the comedian David Heti. Her father wanted ...
People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
'' magazine.
In 2021, Buck published ''Gentlemen's Club: Partners of Exotic Dancers'', a collection of forty photo sittings and interviews exploring the relationships of these workers. The book received press coverage from ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and ''
Refinery29
Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Vice Media.
History
Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 i ...
''.
Awards and exhibitions
His awards include the Arnold Newman Prize for his portraiture, Ryerson University's Visionary Award (wall of fame at The Creative School), PDN's Notable Books 2012 and German Book Award 2013 Selected Title for his book ''Presence'', and Luerzer's Archive 200 Best Ad Photographers (2012/2013 and 2014/2015). His work has appeared in: ''American Photography'' (50 times),
Photo District News
''Photo District News'' (or ''PDN'') was an American monthly trade publication for professional photographers. ''PDN'' was first published in 1980. The publication took its name from New York City's photo district, an area of photo businesses tha ...
Photo Annual (22 times), and the
Communication Arts
''Communication Arts'' is the largest international trade journal of visual communications.Au ...
Photography Annual (13 times).
His solo shows include:
* 2022 Past Present Future, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
* 2018 Magnificent Hurt, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, FL
* 2017 Uneasy: Cover to Cover, PictureHouse, New York, NY
* 2017 Uneasy, Krause Gallery, New York, NY
* 2014 Turn of the Century Portraiture, Galerie Youn, Montreal, QC
* 2013 Presence: The Invisible Portrait, Foley Gallery, New York, NY
* 2002 The Sound of Music: New portraits of contemporary musicians, Other Music, New York, NY
* 1998 FanClub, Saba Gallery, New York, NY