65 years of William Klein at Foam Amsterdam

“They were probably the most unpopular fashion photographs Vogue ever published.” Photographer William Klein recalls his fashion photographs for Vogue with a certain sense of pride. For Klein, there is no such thing as “going too

far”. In a previous interview, model/actress Dorothy McGowan once said, “people were terrified of him, as though it was the lion's den”.

When questioned if he preferred shooting fashion or street photography, Klein replied that he only ever did fashion photography “For the money. The streets photographs I always took for myself”. He added that he was “never interested in fashion,” but was interested in the design aspect of photography. “Editors would bring me dresses and I would try to find a graphic idea to create the shoot around.”

City 'life', a big inspiration for Klein's photography

Klein preferred to shoot his fashion photographs outside in the city streets, or on location, because it gave him the freedom to experiment with new techniques, try new angles and create unique atmospheres. The graphic print on the dresses that the models wore for the famous Piazza di' Spagna shoot were what inspired Klein to photograph the girls crossing a zebra path in the city, using a wide-angle lens to flatten the image out.

 

This week marked the opening of the William Klein exhibition at Foam Museum of photography in Amsterdam. Painter, designer, graphic artist, photographer and filmmaker, every field that Klein has worked in has felt his impact. His photography in particular is considered to be revolutionary and industry changing, although Klein himself never realized that he was changing the world of photography when he was out taking pictures.

“The William Klein exposition is one of the most important exhibitions to be held at Foam over the past few years.” said the museum's exhibition curator, Marcel Feil. According to the curator it was hard to find a way to do justice to Klein's work because it is so diverse and varied, but added that he felt privileged to set up the exhibition with Klein himself, which features never before seen work and famous pieces alike.

Klein never formally studied photography, but when Alexander Liberman, the then art director at Vogue visited an exposition of his work in Paris he promptly invited him to work for Vogue. In 1954 Klein set off to photograph his hometown New York City in his own way, through the eyes of an American who had lived abroad for the past few years.

The William Klein Foam exhibition begins in Foam’s 'garden room' with Klein's New York City portraits from 1954 and then flows into his photo essays of Moscow, Rome and Japan taken from 1956 to 1961. The grainy black and white photographs strike a stark contrast to the red walls they are displayed against, making the photographs appear even more vibrant and life like. The upper hall is dedicated to his fashion photography, taken for Vogue magazine between 1955-1965 and features the famous photographs from the Rome Piazza di' Spagna shoot taken in 1960, as well as behind the scene photos of fashion shows and his later contact prints from the 1980s.

The exhibition is on par with Klein's definition of good; “each room should be a surprise, with a varied layout. The idea of showing art work in an empty white box is boring, so the idea that the museum exhibition is similar to my home is good,” said Klein during the press opening on Wednesday.

Alexander Liberman agreed with Klein's definition of good and he echoed his sentiment that each page of Vogue magazine should be a surprise and mystery for its readers. The former art director at the magazine had planned to turn Klein's photo series into a portfolio, but the end result of the city essay shocked the company. Through Klein's eyes, the city was raw and crude, alive yet vulgar, pulsating and rough and Vogue refused to publish the photographs.

“A famous photograph is not the result of tremendous success, but part of a series. The photographer does not always hit the bullseye in one shoot,” said Klein when questioned about the fame his photographs have achieved and added that he had to take his city portrait of New York to Paris to be published two years later when he thought he “could do with a book”.

"Vogue has popular direction, like a supermarket"

Klein also recalls feeling a certain sense of jealously towards Harper's Bazaar magazine and it's avant-garde editorials, claiming that “Vogue had a more popular direction, like a supermarket”. This could be part of the reason why Klein turned to making films in 1965. In the Foam library, short clips can be seen from some of Klein's most famous movies and commercials, including Who Are You, Polly Maggoo and Mr.Freedom. Who are you, Polly Maggoo was Klein's first feature film, a fictional satire, mocking the fashion industry and its superficial surface. The film features a caricature of Diane Vreeland, who at the time wrote a column for Harper's Bazaar and who Klein saw as the “high priestess of fashion”.

In an introduction to William Klein life works, Feil wrote that Klein does things ‘his own way, without compromise and in defiance of convention, always prepared to take risks, to innovate and set off along paths where the outcome is uncertain. For more than sixty years he has been the ultimate non-conformist, utterly his own man.’

The William Klein exhibition at Foam museum for photography is open from 20 December to 12 March 2014.

Vivian Hendriksz

Photos: Press opening of The William Klein exhibition, Fashion Photography for Vogue from 1955 to 1965 at Foam Amsterdam.