A new exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Museum provides photographs from Herb Ritts, known for his black and white nudes and celebrity portraits from the 1980s and ’90s.
The exhibit is called Herb Ritts: L.A. Style, and it runs through August of 2012 in Los Angeles, which is where Ritts grew up. He died in 2002 at the age of 50, an HIV-positive patient who succumbed to pneumonia.
The early part of his career was boosted especially by Ritts pal Richard Gere. Here’s one of the best known early photos by Ritts:
Ritts went on to photograph celebrities of the day, including Brooke Shields and Olivia Newton-John in 1981. By the end of the ’80s he was known for several celebrity and fashion portraits, from Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell to David Bowie and Madonna.
Here’s one of his portraits of actor/model Djimon Hounsou:
He photographed several athletes also, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee:
Ritts also directed TV commercials and music videos, including this one for the Chris Isaak hit “Wicked Game,” featuring model Helena Christensen:
For more news about the Getty exhibit, read the story here at Art Daily.
For more images by Herb Ritts, visit his official website.