Martin Schoeller: Exhibition in Berlin shows celebrity portraits from the “Close Up” series

2023-08-27 20:30:00

It all started with Vanessa Redgrave. In 1998, Martin Schoeller photographed the British actress for Time Out magazine and tried out the technique that is now his trademark for the first time. Born in Germany, he is known for his close-up portraits that are extremely well lit. Nobody has photographed celebrities like this before. Schoeller only had ten minutes to take the picture of Vanessa Redgrave – but this photo gave him his breakthrough.

“It changed everything: In 1998 I had five assignments – three of which were weddings. In 1999 it was suddenly 127 assignments,” he told the magazine in 2014 “Time”. Since then, renowned publications such as “The New Yorker”, “National Geographic”, “Vogue” and “Harper’s Bazaar” have hired him as a photographer and appreciate his authentic work.

Exhibition in Berlin shows “Close Up” series by Martin Schoeller

His most famous works include the “Close Up” series, for which he has photographed over 3,000 people over the past 25 years, celebrities such as actor Brad Pitt, singer Taylor Swift and ex-President Barack Obama, but also normal people from the street. “I treat them all the same, whether it’s a celebrity or a friend or a homeless person from the Lower East Side. They get the same light, the same background, the same camera, the same treatment,” Schoeller told the 2005 stern.

For his work, Schoeller gets very close to the face and uses special neon tubes. The light forgives nothing: every wrinkle, every pore, every scar and every gray hair becomes visible. Anyone who poses in front of Martin Schoeller’s camera must have the courage to be honest.

Mariah Carey didn’t feel like it. Schoeller was supposed to portray her for a magazine several years ago, but the singer didn’t like his style. “I suspected it, but actually I don’t know what she has, people don’t look that bad with me, do they? Maybe they’re not all perfect, but they can’t be perfect their whole life,” said he dem stern.

Martin Schoeller’s works can be seen until October 7, 2023 in the Berliner Galerie “Camera Work”. More than 40 works from his “Close Up” series are on display there.