William Klein (1926-2022) was a multidisciplinary artist whose practice revolutionized photography, particularly fashion and street photography.
A Parisian since the end of the 1940s, he went to New York in 1954 at the invitation of Vogue, during which Life is Good & Good for You in New York was published (1956). Klein’s talent was spotted, and the photographer won the Nadar Prize that same year. Breaking with tradition, he immediately imposed a new, violent, graphic style, in which dark humor, social criticism, satire and poetry were mixed.
He also directed several feature films, such as Cassius le grand (1965) and Who are you, Polly Maggoo? (1966), produced by Robert Delpire. His work has been exhibited worldwide, and several major museums have devoted retrospectives to him (Fondation Cartier, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Centre Pompidou, MoMA New York, Tate Modern London, Foam Amsterdam…). After a first exhibition in 1994, the International Center of Photography in New York is devoting a new retrospective to him from June to September 2022.
William Klein died in Paris on September 10, 2022.
