Age: 78
Birthplace: Greensburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bruce Weber (born March 29, 1946) is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone magazines.
Weber's fashion photography first appeared in the late 1970s in GQ magazine, where he had frequent cover photos. Nan Bush, his longtime companion and agent, was able to secure a contract with Federated Department Stores to shoot the 1978 Bloomingdales mail catalog. He came to the attention of the general public in the late 1980s and early 1990s with his advertising images for Calvin Klein, and his portrait of the then young actor Richard Gere. His straightforward black and white shots, featuring an unclothed heterosexual couple on a swing facing each other, two clothed men in bed, and model Marcus Schenkenberg barely holding jeans in front of himself in a shower, catapulted him into the national spotlight. His photograph for Calvin Klein of Olympic athlete Tom Hintnaus in white briefs is an iconic image. He photographed the winter 2006 Ralph Lauren Collection.
Some of Weber's other earliest fashion photography appeared in the SoHo Weekly News and featured a spread of men wearing only their underwear. The photos became the center of controversy and Weber was told by some that he would never find work as a fashion photographer again. This reputation stuck with him, as he says: "I don’t really work editorially in a large number of magazines because a lot of magazines don’t want my kind of photographs. It’s too risky for them.".
After doing photo shoots for and of famous people (many of whom were featured in Andy Warhol's Interview magazine), Weber made short films of teenage boxers (Broken Noses), his beloved pet dogs, and later, a longer film entitled Chop Suey. He directed Let's Get Lost, a 1988 documentary about jazz trumpeter Chet Baker.
Weber's photographs are occasionally in color; however, most are in black and white or toned shades. They are gathered in limited edition books, including A House is Not a Home and Bear Pond, an early work that shows, among other models, Eric Nies from MTV's The Real World series.
Weber began collaborating with crooner Chris Isaak in the mid-1980s, photographing Isaak in 1986 for his second album, Chris Isaak. In 1988, Weber photographed a shirtless Isaak in bed for a fashion spread in Rolling Stone. Isaak appeared in Let's Get Lost and Weber has directed a music video for Isaak.
Weber photographed Harry Connick, Jr. for his 1991 album Blue Light, Red Light.
In 1993, Weber photographed singer-songwriter Jackson Browne for his 1993 album I'm Alive.
Weber is married to Nan Bush, with whom he sometimes collaborates. He has lived in Miami since 1998.
Weber created the fashion label Weberbilt in 2003; his first line, "eat, swim, sex, sleep", went on sale in boutiques in London and Miami Beach, Florida, in 2004.
Year | Title | Length | Cast |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Broken Noses | 75:00 | Andy Minsker |
Beauty Brothers (Part I-IV) | 12:26 | Paul Dillon, Brian Dillon, Tim Dillon, Rodney Harvey, Maya Oloe | |
1988 | Let's Get Lost | 119:25 | Chet Baker, Chris Isaak, William Claxton, Flea, Lisa Marie, Rodney Harvey |
1991 | Backyard Movie | 8:55 | |
1994 | Gentle Giants | 14:35 | |
1996 | The Teddy Boys of the Edwardian Drape Society | 3:45 | |
2000 | Chop Suey | 94:00 | Peter Johnson, Robert Mitchum, Diana Vreeland, Jan-Michael Vincent |
2004 | A Letter to True | 78:00 | Julie Christie (narrator), Marianne Faithfull (narrator), Dirk Bogarde, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Smith, Tully Jensen |
2006 | The Legend of True | 11:35 | |
A Tribute To The Delta Society | 2:23 | ||
Best Friends | 3:44 | ||
2007 | Wine and Cupcakes | 12:10 | Angela McCluskey, Paul Cantelon |
2008 | Looking for Chet, again, in all the familiar places | 25:00 | |
The Boy Artist | 9:00 | ||
You Feel Me? | 3:36 | ||
2009 | Liberty City is like Paris to Me | 16:00 |
In 1990, Weber directed the music video for the Pet Shop Boys single "Being Boring". He filmed a party with a diverse group of models. The video was filmed in one day by two film crews in a house on Long Island. Content including male and female nudity prevented the video from being played on MTV in the United States. In 1996 he directed the video for the Pet Shop Boys single "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" on location in a Wet 'n' Wild, a water park near Orlando, Florida. In 2002, he again directed a Pet Shop Boys video, for the song "I Get Along" from the album Release. Weber filmed this video on location at his own Little Bear studio in New York City. He also directed the music video for the Chris Isaak song "Blue Spanish Sky".
Year | Song Title | Length | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Everything Happens to Me | 3:42 | Chet Baker | Let's Get Lost (Soundtrack album) |
1990 | Being Boring | 4:55 | Pet Shop Boys | Behaviour |
1991 | Blue Spanish Sky | 4:13 | Chris Isaak | Wicked Game |
1996 | Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is) | 4:50 | Pet Shop Boys | Bilingual |
2002 | I Get Along | 5:46 | Pet Shop Boys | Release |
Light My Fire | 3:44 | Will Young | From Now On |
Year | Title | Pages | Publisher | Genre |
---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | Looking Good: A Guide For Men |
Hawthorn Books (U.S.) |
by Charles Hicks; all pictures by Bruce Weber | |
1978 | Etre Beau: Un Guide Pour Les Hommes |
Guy Authier (France) |
French edition of Looking Good: A Guide For Men | |
1983 | Bruce Weber | Twelvetrees Press (U.S.) |
First monograph | |
1983 | The Sun and the Shade Florida Photography, 1885-1983 |
Norton Gallery West Palm Beach (U.S.) |
Exhibition catalog for an exhibit curated by Weber | |
1984 | Interview Magazine | Andy Warhol/Interview (U.S.) |
Special edition on American Athletes of the 1984 Olympic Games; all pictures by Bruce Weber | |
Photographs Of Athletes | Olympus Gallery (U.K.) |
Published upon the exhibition held in London (U.K.) at the Olympus Gallery | ||
1986 | O Rio De Janeiro | Alfred A. Knopf (U.S.) |
Monograph | |
Summer Diary 1986 | Condé Nast (Vogue Italia) (Italy) |
Special insert of the Italian magazine Per Lui; all pictures by Bruce Weber | ||
1987 | The Andy Book | Shotaro Okada (Japan) |
Monograph on Andy Minsker, star of Broken Noses | |
Bruce Weber | Idea Books (Italy) |
Catalogue of the exhibition held in Venice, (Italy) at Palazzo Fortuny | ||
1988 | Bruce Weber | Alfred A. Knopf (U.S.) |
Monograph | |
Let's Get Lost: A Film Journal | Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
Published in conjunction of the feature film Let's Get Lost | ||
1990 | Bear Pond | Bulfinch Press (U.S.) |
Monograph | |
Sam | Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
Monograph on Sam Shepard starring Jessica Lange | ||
Great Contemporary Nudes 1978-1990 |
C-Two Gallery (Japan) |
Published upon the exhibition held in Tokyo. (Box containing three books dedicated to the three participating photographers, Bruce Weber, Robert Mapplethorpe and Herb Ritts.) |
||
1991 | Bruce Weber | Fahey Klein Gallery Parco Exposure Gallery (U.S. / Japan) |
Published upon the exhibition held in: New York at the Fahey Klein Gallery and in Tokyo at the Parco Exposure Gallery | |
Calvin Klein Jeans | Condé Nast (Vogue) Calvin Klein (U.S.) |
Speciale insert of Vanity Fair, all pictures by Bruce Weber | ||
1992 | Hotel Room With A View | Smithsonian Institution (U.S.) |
Monograph in the series "Photographers at Work" | |
1994 | Gentle Giants | Bulfinch Press (U.S.) |
Monograph dedicated to the Newfoundland dogs | |
No Valet Parking | Photology (Italy) |
published upon the exhibition held in Milan (Italy) at the Galleria Photology | ||
1996 | A House Is Not A Home | Bulfinch Press (U.S.) |
Monograbhy | |
You Can Take The Boy Out Of Vietnam But You Can't Take Vietnam Out Of The Boy |
Condé Nast (Vogue Italia) (Italy) |
Special insert of the Italian magazine L'Uomo Vogue published upon the exhibition Vietnam, Versace, Viaggi, Weber, held in Milan at Palazzo Reale | ||
1997 | Branded Youth and Other Stories | Bulfinch Press (U.S.) |
Monograph | |
Pirelli Calendar | Pirelli (Italy) |
1998 Calendar, starring: Patricia Arquette • Georgina Grenville • Daryl Hannah • Shalom Harlow • Eva Herzigova • Kirsty Hume • Elaine Irwin Mellencamp • Milla Jovovich •Kiara Kabukuru • Tanga Moreau • Carolyn Murphy • Rachel Roberts • Stella Tennant and |
||
1999 | The Chop Suey Club | Arena Editions (U.S.) |
Monograph on Peter Johnson | |
2000 | Shufly | Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
Monograph | |
2001 | Roadside America | TeNeues Publishing Stern Portfolio (Germany) |
Monograph No. 22 of the "Stern Portfolio" series | |
All-American | Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
1st book of the "All-American" series | ||
2002 | All-American II Short Stories |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
2nd book of the "All-American" series | |
Pirelli Calendar | Pirelli (Italy) |
2003 Calendar, starring: Alessandra Ambrosio • Mariacarla Boscono • Sophie Dahl • Yamila Diaz-Rahi • Isabeli Fontana • Bridget Hall • Filippa Hamilton • Heidi Klum • Karolína Kurková • Jessica Miller • Sienna Miller • Rana Raslan • Eva Riccobono • Lisa Seiffert • Valentina Stilla • Natalia Vodianova and |
||
2003 | All-American III Family Album |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
3rd book of the "All-American" series | |
Hope: A Letter To True |
Condé Nast (Vogue Italia) (Italy) |
Special insert of the Italian magazine L'Uomo Vogue | ||
Thank Your Lucky Stars: John R. Hamilton |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
A behind the scenes look at hollywood celebrity by hollywood photography veteran, John R. Hamilton. Forward by Peter Bogdanovich |
||
2004 | All-American IV Otherworldy |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
4th book of the "All-American" series | |
2005 | Blood Sweat And Tears: Or How I Stopped Worrying And Learned to Love Fashion |
TeNeues Publishing (Germany) |
Monograph | |
Home Is Where The Heart Is | TeNeues Publishing Stern Portfolio (Germany) |
Monograph Nr. 38 of the "Stern Portfolio" series | ||
Filmography | CK Entertainment Company (Japan) |
published upon the exhibition held in Tokyo at the Original True Gallery | ||
All-American VI Is Love Enough? |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
5th book of the "All-American" series | ||
2006 | Sex And Words | Visionaire (U.S.) |
Monograph | |
All-American VI Larger Than life |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
6th book of the "All-American" series | ||
Kate Moss Is The Girl That Got Away |
Condé Nast (Vogue Paris) (France) |
Speciale insert of the French magazine Vogue Hommes International on Kate Moss | ||
2007 | All-American VII 'Til I Get It Right |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
7th book of the "All-American" series | |
2008 | All-American VIII Nature's Way |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
8th book of the "All-American" series | |
2009 | Roberto Bolle An Athlete In Tights |
TeNeues Publishing (Germany) |
Monograph on Roberto Bolle | |
Cartier I Love You |
TeNeues Publishing (Germany) |
Monograph on Cartier | ||
All-American IX A Near-Perfect World |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
9th book of the "All-American" series | ||
2010 | Standing Tall: Portraits of the Haitian Community in Miami, 2003-2010 |
Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (U.S.) |
published on the exhibition held in Miami at the Museum of Contemporary Art | |
All-American X Written In The Stars |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
10th book of the "All-American" series | ||
2011 | All-American XI Just Life |
Little Bear Press (U.S.) |
11th book of the "All-American" series | |
2012 | All-American XII A Book Of Lessons |
TeNeues Publishing (Germany) |
12th book of the "All-American" series | |
2013 | All-American XIII Born Ready |
TeNeues Publishing (Germany) |
13th book of the "All-American" series |