Horst P. Horst retrospective in Macau traces 6 decades of fashion photography
A retrospective at City of Dreams Macau explores Horst P. Horst’s iconic work, from the Mainbocher Corset to surrealist collaborations and portraits of the era’s most recognisable names
It was August 1939 and World War II would break out only weeks later. That month, Horst P. Horst photographed what would become his most iconic image, Mainbocher Corset.
“He describes finishing the shoot at 4am,” says Duncan Forbes, head of photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. “He then went to Le Havre and jumped on the SS Normandie at 7am, which was the last ship to New York, and then Europe was finished.”
Born in Germany in 1906 and based for much of his life in Paris and New York, Horst became one of Vogue’s most influential contributors. Across six decades, he produced fashion editorials, portraits, surrealist collaborations and studies of interiors. His photographs were defined by an almost architectural concern for composition and lighting.
An exhibition at City of Dreams Macau, running until next month, traces the sweep of that work. Organised with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, “Horst: Photographer of Style” draws on the holdings of both the V&A and the Horst Estate, presenting the photographs as reprints and facsimiles, since original prints remain rare.
“He makes use of the visual forms of surrealism to give his photography an edge,” says Forbes. “Very radical and innovative at this time.”