{"id":40984,"date":"2014-11-27T16:18:01","date_gmt":"2014-11-27T15:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wonderlandmagazine.com\/?p=40984"},"modified":"2015-01-17T18:54:20","modified_gmt":"2015-01-17T17:54:20","slug":"steven-meisel-hits-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandmagazine.com\/2014\/11\/27\/steven-meisel-hits-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Steven Meisel Hits London"},"content":{"rendered":"
As the great photographer\u2019s exhibition hits London, we take a look at seven of our most loved Meisel images.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s one of the only famous fashion\u00a0photographers without a book dedicated to his work.\u00a0He\u2019s an intensely private man, giving only a handful of interviews throughout his lifetime.\u00a0Supermodels owe their careers to him;\u00a0Vogue Italia can thank him for the past 25 years of covers\u00a0\u2013 most importantly, the controversial ones.\u00a0He\u2019s shot\u00a0every\u00a0Prada\u00a0campaign\u00a0since 2004 and was the mastermind behind that YSL Opium\u00a0ad and let\u2019s not forget the\u00a0recent\u00a0latex-filled\u00a0Pirelli calendar.<\/p>\n
Steven Meisel has been changing the face of fashion since the 80s. His\u00a0pictures do more than just show off expensive clothes.\u00a0They tell a story, often focusing on\u00a0political and\u00a0social topics that most other photographers tend to shy away from.\u00a0Racism, terrorism and domestic violence have all played a part in\u00a0his work, causing a flurry of media storms worldwide.\u00a0Meisel\u2019s photography\u00a0makes\u00a0you think. And we mean really think.<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019s about time\u00a0Steven Meisel had\u00a0an exhibition spanning his entire career. Cue: Role Play. Coming to the London HQ of auction house Phillips\u00a0on December 16, it will feature 25 photographs handpicked by the man himself.\u00a0With so many thought-provoking\u00a0images to choose from, picking our top seven was a tough job. Here\u2019s the ones that\u00a0sum up his dynamic style along with his\u00a0gift of\u00a0transforming famous faces.<\/p>\n
Grunge\u00a0(Vogue, December 1992)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Steven Meisel is credited with introducing grunge to the mainstream. This timeless Vogue image\u00a0could\u00a0have been taken yesterday let alone in 1992.\u00a0But the androgyny was too much for Anna Wintour\u00a0who refused to publish\u00a0the photo series. Luckily,\u00a0the\u00a0then Editorial Director of\u00a0Cond\u00e9\u00a0Nast, Alexander Liberman,\u00a0called it the most important fashion\u00a0story of the decade and Anna\u2019s decision was reversed.<\/p>\n Supermodels\u00a0(Vogue Italia, 1989)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n It’s safe to say there’s a special relationship between Stephen and the supers.\u00a0Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Kristen McMenamy, Karen Elson\u2026\u00a0He elevated each and every one of their careers.\u00a0Here, Naomi and Christy are showcased\u00a0in a\u00a0behind-the-scenes\u00a0yet\u00a0still utterly glamorous\u00a0shot of them checking their teeth for lipstick stains.<\/p>\n Gender\u00a0(W, 2004)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Steven\u2019s played around with gender for a long time. His Asexual Revolution series was the first time he\u2019d worked for W. Posing\u00a0male models in female roles, gender-bending at its best.\u00a0He tapped into the cultural zeitgeist \u2013 as always – giving the people of America a view they\u2019d only ever seen in small independent magazines.<\/p>\n Covers\u00a0(Vogue Italia, 2011)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The man has produced some of the most stimulating\u00a0covers out there. This one, featuring Stella Tennant, was all about the discipline of fashion. Stella\u2019s waist was corseted so much it became almost non-existent. A radical demonstration of the pain some go through in the name of fashion.<\/p>\n Satire\u00a0(W, 2011)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ironic and iconic: that pretty much sums up the series of fake adverts Meisel photographed for W.\u00a0Fabulous Fakes was a humorous take on everything from hair products to fragrance promotions. Karen Elson\u00a0starred in the kinkiest one, of course.\u00a0Turning the traditional lingerie shoot on its head, nude\u00a0spanked men were submissively bent over with fiery Elson as the dominant figure.<\/p>\n