Hélène Binet (born 1959) is a Swiss-French

architectural photographer Early architectural photographers include Roger Fenton, Francis Frith (Middle East and Britain), Samuel Bourne, Inclined Studio (India) and Albert Levy (United States and Europe). They paved the way for the modern speciality of architectural pho ...

based in London, who is also one of the leading architectural photographers in the world. She is most known for her work with architects

Daniel Libeskind Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design ...

Peter Zumthor Peter Zumthor (; born 26 April 1943) is a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal ...

and

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

, and has published books on works of several architects. Binet was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

in 2008 and the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award in 2015. Her work is held in the collections of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...

in New York and the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art, is an art museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was at what is now the Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsbu ...

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Biography

Binet was born in 1959 in

Sorengo Sorengo is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Sorengo was first mentioned in 1189 as ''Sourengo'' when the S. Lorenzo Cathedral in Lugano acquired the right to collect tithes. In the Late ...

, Switzerland to Swiss and French parents. She studied photography at the

Istituto Europeo di Design The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) is a private design school in Italy founded in 1966 by Francesco Morelli. The school is organized into four disciplines: Design, Fashion, Visual Communication and Management. It is spread over nine citie ...

in Rome, where she grew up. She worked as a photographer at the

Grand Théâtre de Genève Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland. As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, offici ...

, an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland, where she photographed various performances for two years, before turning to architectural photography, encouraged by architect,

, who believed, "she exposes architecture’s achievements, strength, pathos and fragility." Binet works exclusively with photographic film. She has worked with Raoul Bunschoten,

Caruso St John Caruso St John is a London-based architectural firm established in 1990 by Adam Caruso and Peter St John. Practice Caruso St John gained international recognition for its designs of public spaces. The practice came to public attention with The ...

David Chipperfield Sir David Alan Chipperfield, (born 18 December 1953) is an English architect. He established David Chipperfield Architects in 1985. His major works include the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire (1989–1998); the Muse ...

Tony Fretton Tony Fretton (born 17 January 1945) is a British architect known for his residential and public gallery buildings, as well as other British and international design work. He graduated from the Architectural Association (AA) and worked for variou ...

Zvi Hecker Zvi Hecker ( he, צבי הקר; born 31 May 1931) is a Polish-born Israeli architect. His work is known for its emphasis on geometry and asymmetry. Biography Zvi Hecker was born as Tadeusz Hecker in Kraków, Poland. He grew up in Poland and Sa ...

John Hejduk John Quentin Hejduk (July 19, 1929 – July 3, 2000) was an American architect, artist and educator of Czech origin who spent much of his life in New York City. Hejduk is noted for having had a profound interest in the fundamental issues of shap ...

Coop Himmelb(l)au Coop Himmelb(l)au (A pun meaning ''Coop Sky Building'' and ''Coop Sky Blue'') is an architecture, urban planning, design, and art firm founded by Wolf D. Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky, and Michael Holzer in Vienna, Austria in 1968. History Coop Him ...

, the architect

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

Sauerbruch Hutton Sauerbruch Hutton is an international agency for architecture, urban planning and design. It was founded in London in 1989 and is now based in Berlin, Germany. The practice is led by Matthias Sauerbruch, Louisa Hutton and Juan Lucas Young. Arch ...

, and

Josef Paul Kleihues Josef Paul Kleihues (11 June 1933, Rheine – 13 August 2004, Berlin) was a German architect, most notable for his decades long contributions to the "critical reconstruction" of Berlin. His design approach has been described as "poetic rationalist" ...

among others, besides publishing books on buildings by

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, s ...

Sigurd Lewerentz Sigurd Lewerentz (29 July 1885 – 29 December 1975) was a Swedish architect. Biography Lewerentz was born at Sandö in the parish of Bjärtrå in Västernorrland County, Sweden. He was the son of Gustaf Adolf Lewerentz and Hedvig Mathild ...

, and

Dimitris Pikionis Demetrios ("Dimitris") Pikionis ( el, Δημήτριος (Δημήτρης) Πικιώνης; 1887–1968) was a Greek architect, and also painter, of the 20th century who had a considerable influence on modern Greek architecture. He was a foundi ...

Personal life

Binet had a house on

Osea Island Osea Island ( oe, Ōsgȳþes īeg, "Osyth's island"), formerly also Osey, is an inhabited island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex, East England. It is approximately in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a ca ...

in the River Blackwater Estuary in Essex. She is married to Raoul Bunschoten, and the couple live in London with their two children, Izaak and Saskia Ada.

Publications

* ''The Inns of Court''. with Jill Allibone, David Evans. Black Dog Publishing Limited, 1996. . * ''Helene Binet: Seven Projects'', with Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Mark Rappolt, Shine Gallery. Guiding Light, 2002. . * ''Photographs''. Phaidon Inc. Ltd, 2009. . * ''Helene Binet: Composing Space: The Photographs of Helene Binet''. Phaidon Press, 2012. . ; For architects * ''A passage through silence and light'',

, Raoul Bunschoten. Black Dog, 1997. . * '' The House of the Book'',

, Zvi Hecker, John Hejduk. Black Dog, 1999, * ''Architecture of

in photographs'' (with

Hubertus von Amelunxen Hubertus von Amelunxen (born 29 December 1958, Bad Hindelang, Allgäu) is a philosopher, art historian, editor, curator, photography critic, and professor for philosophy of photography and cultural studies. Amelunxen has authored and published sev ...

), Lars Müller, 2000. * ''Holocaust Mahnmal Berlin: Eisenman Architects'', Hanno Rauterberg, Lukas Wassmann. Müller, 2005. .

Awards

*1997: Redaksjonell Fotografi from

Visuelt The National Norwegian Graphic Design Awards ( no, Visuelt) in an annual ceremony which gives tribute to the professionals working with visual communication in Norway. Established in 1993, the Visuelt has gradually grown to become the most importa ...

*2004: Wissenschaft fur Leben Scholarship, from the Olympus Europa Stiftung *2006:

Forum AID Award The Forum AID Award was a Nordic architecture and design award, given annually by the Swedish magazine Forum AID. AID is an acronym for the three subject-matters of the magazine - Architecture, Interior design and Design - and it is also the thre ...

*2008: Honorary Fellowship of

*2015: Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award

Collections

Binet's work is held in the following permanent collections: *

, New York *

, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Binet, Helene 1959 births Living people 20th-century Swiss photographers People from Ticino Swiss people of French descent Swiss emigrants to the United Kingdom Swiss women photographers Architectural photographers Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects 21st-century Swiss photographers 20th-century women photographers 21st-century women photographers