Amsterdam: Albert Watson Maroc

Kahmann Gallery will show a selection of sublime images of Albert Watson’s (UK, 1942) Moroccan travels, which he made in 1997 and 1998 and published in the book Maroc. With the personal insight of a diarist and the detailed eye of an artist, he has captured the physical beauty and spirit of this remarkable country and its people. An almost impossible task, as Watson says himself:  “It is impossible to capture even a fraction of what this great country has to offer in a single book, so what I have made is really a sketch, done over a period of thirty nine days.” From Casablanca to villages, farms, and remote desert areas, Watson captured the soul of Moroccans from all walks of life in his portraits: “The people are the magic of this country’. His wonderful tale of Morocco is made complete with his extraordinary photographs of landscapes, architecture and animals.

Albert Watson is one of the most influential and successful photographers in the world. His iconic images of celebrities, fashion spreads and autonomous art projects have brought him worldwide fame. Watson is particularly famous for his iconic celebrity, fashion and art photography. His work is featured in galleries an museums worldwide. Watson has been photographing for over 40 years, working for the biggest magazines in the world, like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Rolling Stone, as well as ad campaigns for world-renowned brands. Through the wide variety and diversity of his images an effortless versatility is reflected, yet they are always identifiable as Albert Watson photographs by their visual impact and technical virtuosity. The power of Watson lies in his ability to capture and convey his interest in what he sees, be it fashion, nature or a movie star.

During his career, Watson has won many awards, with one of the highlights being receiving the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II in 2015, for his contributions to the world of photography and art. Watson's work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions worldwide and has been included in numerous international private and public collection, including The National Portrait Gallery in London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Kahmann Gallery
Lindengracht 35
1015 KB Amsterdam
+31 (0) 20 8460770

info@kahmanngallery.com
Open: Tuesday - Saturday from 13.00 - 17.00 h

ALBERT WATSON 'ROIDS!

10th of September – 14th of November 2015


With the 'ROIDS! project, Albert Watson - who has been recently awarded an Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his lifetime contribution to and achievements in photography - became interested in scanning his Polaroids at a massive resolution. This creates an effect as if you would observe them under a microscope, which shows all their beauty along with all their flaws. Watson is creating a fascinating combination of old technology in the new digital world. By blewing the scan of the Polaroids up to almost 2.5 meters (96 inches), Watson makes their attraction physically perceptible.

Kate Moss, Marrakech, 1993, Chromogenic print from a polaroid positive

Albert has won numerous honors, including a Lucie Award, a Grammy Award, three Andys, a Der Steiger Award, a Hasselblad Masters Award; and the Centenary Medal, a lifetime achievement award from the Royal Photographic Society. Queen Elizabeth II awarded the Scotsman an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in June 2015 for his lifetime contribution to the art of photography.

Over the years, Albert’s photographs have appeared on more than 100 covers of Vogue worldwide and been featured in countless other publications, from Rolling Stone to Time to Harper’s Bazaar many of the photos iconic fashion shots or portraits of rock stars, rappers, actors and other celebrities. Albert also has created the photography for hundreds of ad campaigns for major companies, such as Prada, the Gap, Levi’s, Revlon and Chanel. He has shot dozens of Hollywood movie posters, such as “Kill Bill” and “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and has also directed more than 100 television commercials.

Running Man, L’Uomo Vogue, San Francisco, 1992, Chromogenic print from a polaroid positive

Albert’s visual language follows his own distinctive rules and concepts of quality. With their brilliance, urgency, even grandeur, his photographs stand out so clearly against the world of today’s images. His way of lighting subjects, especially the fetish objects and portraits, creates a nearly meditative atmosphere in the photographs.  

Since 2004, Albert has had solo shows at the Museum of Modern Art in Milan, Italy; the KunstHausWien in Vienna, Austria; the City Art Centre in Edinburgh; the FotoMuseum in Antwerp, Belgium; the NRW Forum in Dusseldorf, Germany; the Forma Galleria in Milan; Fotografiska in Stockholm, Sweden; and the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow. A major retrospective, with a body of work Albert shot in Benin, Africa, was held at the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg, Germany, in 2013.

His photographs have also been featured in many group museum shows, including the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, the International Center of Photography in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Deichtorhallen. His photographs are included in the permanent collections at the National Portrait Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, the Scottish Parliament, the Deichtorhallen, and the Multimedia Art Museum, among others. 

Patty Owen, New York City, 1986, Chromogenic print from a polaroid positive

 

 

 Without a doubt, Albert Watson is an artist who greatly enriches our perception with his unique photographic view. Though the wide variety of his images reflects an effortless versatility, they are nevertheless identifiable as Albert Watson photographs by their sheer power and technical virtuosity whether it’s a shot of a forest in Scotland, a Yohji Yamamoto dress on a supermodel, a close-up of the spacesuit worn by Astronaut Alan Shepard on the moon, or the iconic black and white portrait of Steve Jobs. This single-minded commitment to perfection has made Albert one of the world’s most sought-after photographers. 

Dufourstrassse 31
8008 Zurich, Switzerland
p: +41 44 252 01 11
f:  +41 44 252 01 09
e: gallery(at)christopheguye.com
www.christopheguye.com