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Herbert Ritts Jr. (August 13, 1952 – December 26, 2002) was an American fashion photographer and director known for his photographs of celebrities, models, and other cultural figures throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His work concentrated on black and white photography and portraits, often in the style of classical Greek sculpture, which emphasized the human shape.[1]
Herb Ritts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Herbert Ritts Jr. August 13, 1952 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 2002 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Bard College |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Awards | GLAAD Media Awards Pioneer Award 2008 |
Early life and education
Born in Los Angeles, to a Jewish family,[2] Ritts began his career working in the family furniture business. His father, Herb Ritts Sr., was a businessman, while his mother, Shirley Ritts, was an interdir designer. He moved to the East Coast to attend Bard College in New York, where he majored in economics and art history, graduating in 1975.[1]
Career
Later, while living in Los Angeles, he became interested in photography when he and friend Richard Gere, then an aspiring actor, decided to shoot some photographs in front of an old Buick.[1] The picture gained Ritts some coverage and he began to be more serious about photography. He photographed Brooke Shields for the cover of the October 12, 1981 edition of Elle and he photographed Olivia Newton-John for her Physical album in 1981. Five years later he replicated that cover pose with Madonna for her 1986 release True Blue. That year he photographed Tina Turner for the album Break Every Rule.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Ritts photographed celebrities in various locales throughout California.[3] Some of his subjects during this time included musical artists. He also took fashion and nude photographs of models Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford, including "Tatjana, Veiled Head, Tight View, Joshua Tree, 1988."[4] Ritts' work with them ushered in the 1990s era of the supermodel and was consecrated by one of his most celebrated images, "Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989" taken for Rolling Stone.[citation needed]
He also worked for Interview, Esquire, Mademoiselle, Glamour, GQ, Newsweek, Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone,[3] Time, Vogue, Allure, Vanity Fair, Details, and Elle. Ritts took publicity portraits for Batman, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin which appeared on magazine covers and merchandise throughout the 1990s. He published books on photography for various fashion designers.
From 1996 to 1997 Ritts' work was displayed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, attracting more than 250,000 people to the exhibit,[5] and in 2003 a solo exhibition was held at the Daimaru Museum, in Kyoto, Japan.[citation needed]
Personal life
Ritts was openly gay. He was in a relationship with entertainment lawyer Erik Hyman from 1996 until his death in 2002.[6] His parents were accepting and supportive of his sexuality.[7]
Ritts was HIV-positive. He was first diagnosed in 1989, and used alternative herbal treatments to fight his condition. He never publicly disclosed his diagnosis.[8]
Death
On December 26, 2002, Ritts died in Los Angeles from pneumonia at the age of 50.[9] According to Ritts' publicist, "Herb was HIV-positive, but this particular pneumonia was not PCP (pneumocystis pneumonia), a common opportunistic infection of AIDS. But at the end of the day, his immune system was compromised."[10]
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Cherish" | Madonna | |
| 1990 | "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" | Janet Jackson | with Antonio Sabàto, Jr. and Djimon Hounsou |
| 1991 | "Wicked Game" | Chris Isaak | second version of music video; with Helena Christensen |
| "Way of the World" | Tina Turner | two slightly different versions, one for the American market and the other European | |
| 1992 | "In The Closet" | Michael Jackson | with Naomi Campbell |
| 1994 | "Please Come Home for Christmas" | Jon Bon Jovi | with Cindy Crawford |
| 1996 | "Let It Flow" | Toni Braxton | |
| 1998 | "My All" | Mariah Carey | |
| 1999 | "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" | Chris Isaak | Remix version, with Laetitia Casta |
| 2000 | "Telling Stories" | Tracy Chapman | |
| 2001 | "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" | Britney Spears | |
| "Ain't It Funny" | Jennifer Lopez | ||
| "Gone" | NSYNC | ||
| 2002 | "Underneath Your Clothes" | Shakira |
Publications
- Pictures, Twin Palms, 1988
- Men/Women, Twin Palms, 1989
- Duo, Twin Palms, 1991
- Notorious, Little, Brown and Company/Bulfinch, 1992
- Africa, Little, Brown and Company/Bulfinch, 1994
- Work, Little, Brown and Company/Bulfinch, 1996
- Herb Ritts, Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, 1999
- Herb Ritts L.A. Style, Getty, 2012
Exhibitions
- Herb Ritts: The Rock Portraits, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, 2016.[11]
- Herb Ritts: The Rock Portraits, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH, 2015/16[12][13]
- Herb Ritts, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, 2015[13][14]
- Herb Ritts: Super, Hamilton's Gallery, London, 2016/17[15]
- Herb Ritts: Super II, Hamilton's Gallery, London, 2017[16]
References
- ^ a b c Bellafante, Ginia (December 27, 2002). "Herb Ritts, Photographer of Celebrities, Is Dead at 50". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^ Abrams, Melanie. "Life and Culture: Lens That Defined a Generation." Thejc.com Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Loder, Kurt (April 23, 1987), "Stardust Memories", Rolling Stone, no. 498, pp. 74–77, 80, 82, 168, 171
- ^ "Herb Ritts". Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ Edgers, Geoff (April 5, 2007). "Breaking: Herb Ritts Money, Art to MFA50". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ^ "Putting on the Ritts". April 2003.
- ^ Rutledge, Stephen (August 13, 2017). "#BornThisDay: Photographer, Herb Ritts".
- ^ "Herb Ritts: Puttin' on the Ritts". September 10, 2010.
- ^ Bellafante, Ginia (December 27, 2002). "Herb Ritts, Photographer of Celebrities, Is Dead at 50". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
- ^ Signorile, Michelangelo (January 22, 2001). "Ritts Coverage: Don't Hide the AIDS Truths". windycitymediagroup.com. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
- ^ "Chrysler Museum of Art". chrysler.org. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ "Exhibits". rockhall.com. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ a b Christian, Scott (March 13, 2015). "Herb Ritts: old-school glamour's last stand". The Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ "Herb Ritts". mfa.org. February 12, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ "Exhibition HERB RITTS: SUPER – artist, news & exhibitions". photography-now.com. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ "Herb Ritts' Iconic Photographs of the '90s "Supers" Are Back". Vogue. January 29, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
