Peter Lindbergh — the supermodel photographer

Peter Lindbergh was a German photographer who became an international star thanks to his distinctive style. His black and white photographs are highly regarded and his snapshot of models in white shirts was named the best photograph of the 1990s by Vogue magazine. But who was Peter Lindbergh, really?

This upcoming documentary delves into Lindbergh’s life and work, exploring how he drew inspiration from expressionist German films of the 1920s and the free dance of that era to create something new and distinctive. Combining avant-garde aesthetics and a down-to-earth stance, he developed a “verité approach” that captured the essence of his subjects like no one else. Born in today’s Poland in 1944 and growing up in the Ruhr region after being forcibly displaced, Lindbergh started off working as a shop window dresser. But then – more than 40 years ago – he bought a cheap secondhand camera to take snaps of his brother’s children and discovered his love of portraiture.