Peter Knapp (photographer)
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (October 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Peter Knapp | |
|---|---|
 Peter Knapp | |
| Born | June 5, 1931 Bäretswil, Swiss |
| Occupation(s) | Graphist, Artist, Photographer |
Peter Knapp (born June 5, 1931), is a Swiss-German photographer, graphic designer, painter, filmmaker, and videographer.[1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]Knapp was born in Bäretswil,[1] to a father who was initially a baker and later a technician, and a mother who was an amateur operetta singer.[citation needed]
He completed his primary and secondary education in Zurich from 1937 to 1947. His first photographs date back to 1945.[citation needed] From 1947 to 1951, he studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich and painted from 1948 to 1950 with Otto Bachmann.[3] In 1952, Knapp moved to Paris, where he started painting. That same year, he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris.[4]
Life and work
[edit]He then worked as a graphic designer in Paul Marquet's studio, the art director of Nouveau Fémina and Galeries Lafayette. He collaborated with Jean Widmer, Pierre Pothier, and Slavik. In 1954, Slavik left the department store to join Publicis and design its new office. With Knapp's help, he created the innovative decor for the Champs-Élysées Drugstore.[4]
In 1956, he and Slavik designed the pavilions for tobacco, banking, and insurance at the Brussels World's Fair[5].
Afterward, Knapp moved to New York, where he continued to paint.[citation needed]
Elle magazine
[edit]In 1959, noticed by Hélène Lazareff, Knapp joined Elle as the art director. He held this position until 1966 and built an international reputation for his fashion photography and layouts, giving his collaborators considerable freedom in terms of page design. By breaking established norms at a time when fashion was becoming more democratic, he influenced the designs of other fashion magazines. He worked with top photographers, such as Robert Frank, and helped launch the Paris career of Paolo Roversi in the early 1970s[6][7][8] and David Hamilton[9].
In 1960, he returned to New York, where he met Robert Rauschenberg and Barnett Newman, who encouraged him to paint large-scale works. Throughout the decade, Knapp traveled to Asia, including China, Japan, Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan, and conducted worldwide reports. In 1966, he worked with Daisy de Galard, a former Elle journalist, to create the TV show Dim Dam Dom[10].
Later career
[edit]After his time at Elle, Knapp worked for various magazines, including Stern, The Sunday Times, Vogue, Fortune, L'Histoire, and La Recherche.[11] He had several studios in Paris and frequently traveled between Paris and Klosters, Switzerland, where he lived.[12] Knapp was also involved in education. He was a professor at ESAG (formerly Académie Julian), from 1983 to 1994.[citation needed]
Key photographic series and paintings
[edit] |
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2024) |
- 1964: Swiss Emblems
- 1966: Pirelli Calendar illustrations
- 1967: Photographic series on Emanuel Ungaro's collection[13]
- 1969: Decomposed-Recomposed landscapes in Marrakech
- 1974: Sky-Art projects
- 1975: Il fait beau (It's a beautiful day) series on skies
- 1986: Fashion at the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie in Arles
- 1989: Crépuscule for the Swiss Cultural Center in Paris
Collections
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Knapp's work is held in the following permanent collections:
- Centre de la Photographie, Geneva
- Fondation pour la photographie suisse, Zurich
- Musée Nicéphore-Niépce, Chalon-sur-Saône
Publications
[edit]- La maison Knapp (2008)
- MaculageAlberto Giacometti (2009)
- Gométries (2010)
- Peter Knapp, Flamenco (2011)
Awards and honors
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- 1965, 1978: Two medals at Photokina in Cologne
- 1966-1986: 17 medals from the Arts Directors Club International
- 2021: Grand Swiss Design Prize in the Photography category
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Peter Knapp : le graphiste qui a révolutionné le magazine ELLE - Elle". elle.fr. 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Au Musée de la photographie, les années 60 de Peter Knapp". Le Soir. 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Peter Knapp, l'œil absolu du photographe". Le Figaro. 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Peter Knapp : « J'étais un peu trop radical, conceptuel, Slavik adorait l'histoire de l'art dans sa totalité »". 9 January 2022 – via Le Monde.
- ^ "Peter KNAPP. Mon temps". Musée de la Photographie.
- ^ Florence Müller, « La construction de l'image, de la robe à la photographie », dans Florence Müller, Dior, images de légende : les grands photographes et Dior, New York, Rizzoli, 2014 (ISBN 978-0-8478-4369-5), p. 117
- ^ Céline Cabourg et Yasmin Kaiser, « Médias : les femmes en zone de turbulences », Le Nouvel Observateur, no 2605, 9 octobre 2014, p. 126 à 128 (ISSN 0029-4713)
- ^ Claire Doub, « Paolo Roversi : de la photo de mode à la réalisation de clips Guerlain [archive] », sur cosmopolitan.fr, Cosmopolitan (consulté le 18 janvier 2014)
- ^ "Mort du photographe britannique David Hamilton". Connaissance des Arts. 28 November 2016.
- ^ "«Dim dam dom», l'école des femmes". 22 August 2009.
- ^ "L'exposition Peter Knapp à la Cité de la Mode et du Design". 1 January 1970.
- ^ à 07h00, Par Le 20 mars 2015 (20 March 2015). "La collection de Peter Knapp aux enchères". leparisien.fr.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Les femmes libérées de Peter Knapp à la Cité de la Mode". Franceinfo. 14 March 2018.
External links
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