George Hoyningen-Huene

An Iconic Photographer of the Twentieth Century

George Hoyningen-Huene is acknowledged as one of the most iconic pioneers in the genre of fashion photography. His elegant pared down style has had a dramatic impact on fashion houses around the world and his work continues to have relevance today, as someone who created some of the most striking photographic portraits and compositions of the twentieth century.

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recent exhibition

Bastiaan Woudt & George Hoyningen-Huene - ICONS

Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, GA, USA, June 9-August 5, 2023

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Divers, Horst and Lee Miller, Paris, 1930

anna wintour’s favorite

When asked to choose her favorite Vogue photographs, Anna Wintour included Huene’s The Divers (July 1930). She also selected images by Edward Steichen, Horst P Horst, Irving Penn and Cecil Beaton. At the centre of this circle of international photographers, was Huene. This gifted group would help to create the look and style of the 1930’s era, and beyond. Also included, were photographers Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Lee Miller, all of whom were active supporters of the human rights movement. Huene was one of the first fashion photographers to use male models in photo shoots.

Form – light – shadow

George Hoyningen-Huene will be remembered for his unmatched talent for balancing color, form, light, shadow, and the pared-back look of his images. Many of his timeless photographic masterpieces are in the collections of the world’s leading museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), NYC.

Ernor Carise with a Hula Hoop, 1930

“Isn’t that going to be awfully dull and drab?” George Hoyningen-Huene’s use of neutrals

Dr Lucy Fife Donaldson

This audiovisual essay is published in [in]Transition: Journal of Videographic and Moving Image Studies (10.2, 2023) mediacommons.org/intransition
Research for this project was funded by the British Academy.

Photo of the week

This is where we share our favourite George Hoyningen-Huene photographs and latest discoveries from the archive.

Georgia Graves was famed for her Bubble Dance at the Folies Bergère in Paris 🫧 Her likeness was sculpted by Armand Godard and she was photographed in costume for La Grande Folie by George Hoyningen-Huene in 1928. Georgia trained in Los Angeles with Ernest Belcher and was later nicknamed ‘The Pearl’. #georgiagraves #armandgodard #georgehoyningenhuene #foliesbergere #bubbledance #1920s #flapper #vogueparis #condenast #classicphotography

Hollywood icon Katharine Hepburn was first photographed by George Hoyningen-Huene in 1934 and the pair became life long friends. He died on this day in 1968 and Hepburn later wrote of him: “Texture, line, simplicity – these were the things he liked – the classic truth. He was a really cultivated man and sufficiently knowledgeable to have faith in his own opinion.” #georgehoyningenhuene #katharinehepburn #vanityfair #vogue #1930s #portraiture #fashionphotography #goldenageofhollywood #classichollywood #blackandwhitephotography

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