William Klein (April 19, 1926 – September 10, 2022) was an American-born French

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in oth ...

and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of

photojournalism Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

and

fashion photography Fashion photography is a genre of photography which is devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items, sometimes haute couture. It typically consists of a fashion photographer taking a picture of a dressed model (person), model in a photo ...

. He was ranked 25th on ''Professional Photographer''s list of 100 most influential photographers. Klein trained as a painter, studying under

Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as " tubism") which he gradually modified into a more figurative, p ...

, and found early success with exhibitions of his work. He soon moved on to photography and achieved widespread fame as a fashion photographer for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' and for his

photo essay A photographic essay or photo-essay for short is a form of visual storytelling, a way to present a narrative through a series of images. A photo essay delivers a story using a series of photographs and brings the viewer along a narrative journey. E ...

s on various cities. He directed feature-length fiction films, numerous short and feature-length documentaries and produced over 250 television commercials. He was awarded the Prix Nadar in 1957, the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is one of the world's oldest photographic societies. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as the Photographic Society of London with ...

's Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS) in 1999, and the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award at the

Sony World Photography Awards The World Photography Organisation is a global platform for photography initiatives and helps artists working in photography broaden the conversation around their work. Established in 2007 by CEO Scott Gray, in the United kingdom it involves peop ...

in 2011. A retrospective exhibition of his work, ''William Klein: YES: Photographs, Paintings, Films, 1948–2013'', is showing at the

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ...

in New York until September 15, 2022.

Life and work

Klein was born in New York City into an impoverished

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish family. He graduated from

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

early and enrolled at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

at the age of 14 to study

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

. He joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and was stationed in Germany and later France, where he permanently settled after being discharged. In 1948, Klein enrolled at the Sorbonne, and later studied with

. At the time, Klein was interested in abstract painting and sculpture. In 1952, he had two successful solo exhibitions in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

and began a collaboration with the architect Angelo Mangiarotti. Klein also experimented with kinetic art, and it was at an exhibition of his kinetic sculptures that he met Alexander Liberman, the art director for ''

''. He moved on to photography and achieved widespread fame as a fashion photographer for ''Vogue'' and for his

s on various cities. Despite having no formal training as a photographer, Klein won the Prix Nadar in 1957 for ''New York'', a book of photographs taken during a brief return to his hometown in 1954. Klein's work was considered revolutionary for its "ambivalent and ironic approach to the world of fashion", its "uncompromising rejection of the then prevailing rules of photography" and for his extensive use of wide-angle and

telephoto A telephoto lens, in photography and cinematography, is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens group known as a ''telephoto ...

lenses, natural lighting and

motion blur Motion blur is the apparent streaking of moving objects in a photograph or a sequence of frames, such as a film or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single exposure, due to rapid movement or lo ...

. ''The New York Times Katherine Knorr writes that, along with

Robert Frank Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019) was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled ''The Americans'', earned Frank comparisons to a modern-da ...

, Klein is considered "among the fathers of

street photography Street photography (also sometimes called candid photography) is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Although there is a difference between street and ca ...

, one of those mixed compliments that classifies a man who is hard to classify." Klein's most popular photographic works are ''Gun 1, New York'' (1955), ''The Holy family on bike'' (Rome, 1956), ''Cineposter'' (Tokyo, 1961), ''Vogue'' (fashion models in the streets of New York, Rome and Paris for ''Vogue'' magazine, 1963), ''

Love on the Beat ''Love on the Beat'' is the fifteenth studio album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. On this album, Gainsbourg used American musicians to achieve a funk-heavy rock sound. The album was controversial due to its very sexual lyrical co ...

'' (

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoc ...

album sleeve, 1984), ''Club Allegro Fortissimo'' (1990) and ''Autoportrait'' (a book of painted contact prints, 1995).

Cinema

The world of fashion was the subject for the first feature film Klein directed in 1966, ''

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? ''Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?'' (french: Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?) is a 1966 French film directed by William Klein. It is a satirical arthouse mockumentary spoofing the fashion world and its excesses. It stars Dorothy McGowan as Polly Mag ...

'', which, like his other two fiction features, '' Mr. Freedom'' and '' The Model Couple'', is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming o ...

. He directed numerous short and feature-length

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

, including the

cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or ...

documentary ''Grands soirs et petits matins'', the 1964 documentary '' Cassius the Great'', re-edited with new footage as '' Muhammad Ali: The Greatest'' in 1969. He produced over 250 television commercials. A long time tennis fan, in 1982 he directed ''The French'', a documentary on the

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...

tennis championship. His work was sometimes openly critical of American society and foreign policy; the film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum once wrote that ''Mr. Freedom'' was "conceivably the most

anti-American Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment) is prejudice, fear, or hatred of the United States, its government, its foreign policy, or Americans in general. Political scientist Brendon O'Connor at the United States Studies Centr ...

movie ever made."

Death

Klein died in Paris on September 10, 2022, aged 96.

Filmography

Documentary films

* '' Broadway by Light'' (1958). A study of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

by night. * ''Les troubles de la circulation'' (1962). Paris traffic jams for French TV. * ''Le business et la mode'' (1962). * ''Les français et la politique'' (1962). * ''Gare de Lyon'' (1963). * ''Cassius, le grand'' (1964–65). Film of

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( 1930 – December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson ...

Cassius Clay fight in Miami. * ''Aux grands magasins'' with Simone Signoret (1964). * '' Loin du Viêt Nam'' (1967). Collective film with segments contributed by Klein,

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...

Chris Marker Chris Marker (; 29 July 1921 – 29 July 2012) was a French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and film essayist. His best known films are ''La Jetée'' (1962), '' A Grin Without a Cat'' (1977) and ''Sans Soleil ...

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained critica ...

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

Joris Ivens Georg Henri Anton "Joris" Ivens (18 November 1898 – 28 June 1989) was a Dutch documentary filmmaker. Among the notable films he directed or co-directed are ''A Tale of the Wind'', ''The Spanish Earth'', ''Rain'', ''...A Valparaiso'', '' Mi ...

and

Agnès Varda Agnès Varda (; born Arlette Varda; 30 May 1928 – 29 March 2019) was a Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist. Her pioneering work was central to the development of the widely influential French New Wave film ...

. * '' Muhammad Ali: The Greatest'' (1969). * '' Festival panafricain d'Alger'' (1969). * '' Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther'' (1970). On

Eldridge Cleaver Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party. In 1968, Cleaver wrote '' Soul on Ice'', a collection of essays that, at the time of i ...

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. New ...

leader. * ''Hollywood, California: A Loser's Opera (1977). * '' Grands soirs & petits matins'' (1978).

May 1968 The following events occurred in May 1968: May 1, 1968 (Wednesday) * CARIFTA, the Caribbean Free Trade Association, was formally created as an agreement between Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. * RAF Strike ...

in the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistro ...

of Paris. * '' The Little Richard Story'' (1980). * ''The French'' (1982). A documentary about the

tennis tournament in 1981. * ''Contacts'' (1983). Klein comments photographs by great photographers. * ''Ralentis'' (1984). * ''Mode in France'' (1984). A documentary on French fashion. * ''Babilée '91'' (1992). A filmed ballet. * ''In and Out of Fashion'' (1994). * ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'' (1999). Based on Georg Friedrich Haendel's

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

'' directed by

Marc Minkowski Marc Minkowski (born 4 October 1962) is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works, and is the current general director of Opéra national de Bordeaux. His mother, Mary Anne (Wade), i ...

Feature films

* ''

'' (1966). Satire on the fashion world (

Prix Jean Vigo The Prix Jean Vigo is an award in the Cinema of France given annually since 1951 to a French film director in homage to Jean Vigo. It was founded by French writer Claude Aveline. Since 1960, the award is given to a director of a feature film and ...

). With Dorothy McGowan,

Delphine Seyrig Delphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig (; 10 April 1932 – 15 October 1990) was a Lebanese-born French actress and film director. She came to prominence in Alain Resnais's 1961 film ''Last Year at Marienbad'', and later acted in films by Francois ...

Jacques Seiler Jacques Seiler (1928–2004) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''On Foot, on Horse, and on Wheels'' (1957) - Le garçon sortant du 'Bean's' (uncredited) * '' Ces dames préfèrent le mambo'' (1957) - Henri Bates - le steward * ''Le sept ...

Alice Sapritch Alice Sapritch (29 July 1916 – 24 March 1990) was a French film actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1950 and 1989. Partial filmography * ''Le tampon du capiston'' (1950) - La pharmacienne * ''Le crime du Bouif'' (1952) * ''If Pari ...

, Philippe Noiret, Samy Frey and

Roland Topor Roland Topor (7 January 1938 – 16 April 1997) was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, who was known for the surreal nature of his work. He was of Polish-Jewish ...

. * '' Mr. Freedom'' (1968). Satire on American Imperialism. With

, John Abbey,

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

Jean-Claude Drouot Jean Claude Drouot (born 17 December 1938) is a Belgian actor whose career has lasted over a half-century. At the age of twenty-five, he gained widespread fame in the French-speaking world as a result of portraying the title role in the popular ...

and

. * '' L'anniversaire de Charlotte'' (1974). 8 mm short film for the Paris Film Festival. With Charlotte Levy,

, les Gazolines and

Coline Serreau Coline Serreau (born 29 October 1947) is a French actress, film director and writer. Early life and education She was born in Paris, the daughter of theatre director Jean-Marie Serreau and actress Geneviève Serreau. In Paris, Serreau studi ...

. * '' The Model Couple'' (1977). When sociology and statistics take over everyday life. With

Anémone Anne Bourguignon (; 9 August 1950 – 30 April 2019), known professionally as Anémone (), was a French actress, filmmaker and political activist. She took her stage name in 1968 from the title of her film debut in Philippe Garrel's ''Anémone' ...

André Dussollier André Dussollier (born 17 February 1946) is a French actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as fi ...

, Zouc,

Jacques Boudet Jacques Boudet (born 29 December 1939) is a French stage and screen actor. He had great success in the 1980s with his appearance in '' Exercises in Style'', and is featured in the film ''The Names of Love'' (2010). In cinema, he frequently ap ...

Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine (born Edward Israël Constantinowsky; October 29, 1917 – February 25, 1993) was an American singer, actor and entertainer who spent most of his career in France. He became well-known to film audiences for his portrayal of se ...

and

Georges Descrières Georges Descrières (15 April 1930 – 19 October 2013) was a French actor. He appeared in 52 films and television shows between 1954 and 1996. He starred alongside Anna Karina in the 1962 film '' Sun in Your Eyes'' and portrayed the gentlem ...

Publications

*''New York''. London: Photography Magazine, 1956. *''Life is good and good for you in New York: Trance Witness Revels.'' **''Life is good and good for you in New York: Trance Witness Revels.''

Éditions du Seuil Éditions du Seuil (), also known as ''Le Seuil'', is a French publishing house established in 1935 by Catholic intellectual Jean Plaquevent (1901–1965), and currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The ''seuil' ...

, 1958. **''New York 1954–55.'' Marval, 1995. New edition. **''Life is Good & Good for You in New York Trance Witness Revels.'' Books on Books 5. New York: Errata Editions, 2010. . Essays by Klein,

Max Kozloff Max Kozloff (born 1933) is an American art historian, art critic of modern art and photographer. He has been art editor at ''The Nation'', and Executive Editor of ''Artforum''. His essay "American Painting During the Cold War" is of particular im ...

and Jeffrey Ladd. **''Life is Good & Good for You in New York Trance Witness Revels.'' Books on Books 5. New York: Errata Editions, 2012. *''Rome.'' Paris:

, 1958 (Petite Planète series). . *''Rome: The City and Its People.'' **''Rome: The City and Its People.'' New York:

The Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

and London: Vista Books, 1959. **''Rome: The City and Its People.'' Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1959. *''Moscow.''

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

, 1964. First edition. *''Tokyo.''

, 1964. First edition. *''Mister Freedom.'' Korinsha Press, 1970. First edition. *''Close up.''

Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

, 1989. *''Torino '90.'' Federico Motta Editore, 1990. *''Mode in & out.'' Seuil, 1994. . *''William Klein Films.'' Paris: Marval/Maison Europeenne De La Photographie, 1998. First edition. . *''Paris + Klein.'' Germany: Edition Braus, 2002. . *''MMV Romani.'' Fendi-Contrasto,

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

. . *''William Klein, rétrospective.'' Marval, 2005. *''Roma + Klein.'' du Chêne, 2009. *''William Klein: Black and Light, Early Abstracts, 1952 – 2015.'' HackelBury Fine Art, 2015. .

Awards

*1957: Prix Nadar for ''New York''. *1967:

for ''Polly Maggoo''. *1988: The Cultural Award from the

German Society for Photography German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

(DGPh)The Cultural Award of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (DGPh)
. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie e.V.. Accessed 7 March 2017. *1990:

Hasselblad Award The Hasselblad Award (in full: Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography) is an award granted to "a photographer recognized for major achievements". History The award—and the Hasselblad Foundation—was set up from the estate ...

. *1999: Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS) from the

. *2012: Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award,

Exhibitions

*2013: ''Without Compromise: The Cinema of William Klein,''

Museum of Arts and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the mus ...

, New York. A retrospective on Klein's documentary filmmaking work. *2017: ''William Klein: Photographs and Films,'' C/O Berlin, Berlin *2022: ''William Klein: YES: Photographs, Paintings, Films, 1948–2013'',

, New York, June 3 – September 15, 2022

Collections

Klein's work is held in the following public collection: *

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Ste ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, William 1926 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American photographers 21st-century American Jews French film directors French photographers Fashion photographers Street photographers American experimental filmmakers French experimental filmmakers City College of New York alumni University of Paris alumni American emigrants to France Jewish American military personnel Photographers from New York (state) Photography in Italy Photography in Japan