Bruce Weber (born March 29, 1946 in
Greensburg, PennsylvaniaGreensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for
Calvin KleinCalvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Calvin Klein also gave his name to a range of perfumes, including CK One and CK Be , now owned by Coty Inc...
,
PirelliThe Pirelli Calendar has become an annual publication that belies its origin in 1964 as merely a trade calendar published by the Pirelli company's UK subsidiary....
,
Abercrombie & FitchAbercrombie & Fitch is an American fashion retailer, headed by chairman and CEO Michael S. Jeffries. The A&F brand focuses on casualwear for a target consumer ages of 18 through 22. With over 300 locations in the United States, the brand has embarked on international expansion throughout various...
,
Revlon-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the REVLON name....
,
Gianni VersaceGianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni Versace S.p.A., an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films, and was a friend of Elton John, Sting,...
, and
Ralph LaurenRalph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive. He is most notable for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
, as well as his work for
VogueVogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine published in 16 countries + Latin America by Condé Nast Publications. Each month, Vogue publishes a magazine addressing topics of fashion, life and design.-Style and influence:...
,
GQGQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing upon fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
,
Vanity FairVanity Fair is an American Hollywood magazine of pop culture, fashion, and politics published by Condé Nast Publications. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1981 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition...
,
ElleElle is a worldwide magazine that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she"....
,
LifeLife generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
,
InterviewInterview is a magazine founded by artist Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga in 1969. Dedicated to the cult of celebrity which fascinated Warhol, it featured cutting-edge graphics and interviews of celebrities. These interviews were usually unedited or edited in the eccentric fashion of Warhol's books...
, and
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazines.
Weber's fashion photography first appeared in the late 1970s in
GQGQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing upon fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
magazine, where he had frequent cover photos.
Bruce Weber (born March 29, 1946 in
Greensburg, PennsylvaniaGreensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for
Calvin KleinCalvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Calvin Klein also gave his name to a range of perfumes, including CK One and CK Be , now owned by Coty Inc...
,
PirelliThe Pirelli Calendar has become an annual publication that belies its origin in 1964 as merely a trade calendar published by the Pirelli company's UK subsidiary....
,
Abercrombie & FitchAbercrombie & Fitch is an American fashion retailer, headed by chairman and CEO Michael S. Jeffries. The A&F brand focuses on casualwear for a target consumer ages of 18 through 22. With over 300 locations in the United States, the brand has embarked on international expansion throughout various...
,
Revlon-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the REVLON name....
,
Gianni VersaceGianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni Versace S.p.A., an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films, and was a friend of Elton John, Sting,...
, and
Ralph LaurenRalph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive. He is most notable for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
, as well as his work for
VogueVogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine published in 16 countries + Latin America by Condé Nast Publications. Each month, Vogue publishes a magazine addressing topics of fashion, life and design.-Style and influence:...
,
GQGQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing upon fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
,
Vanity FairVanity Fair is an American Hollywood magazine of pop culture, fashion, and politics published by Condé Nast Publications. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1981 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition...
,
ElleElle is a worldwide magazine that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she"....
,
LifeLife generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
,
InterviewInterview is a magazine founded by artist Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga in 1969. Dedicated to the cult of celebrity which fascinated Warhol, it featured cutting-edge graphics and interviews of celebrities. These interviews were usually unedited or edited in the eccentric fashion of Warhol's books...
, and
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazines.
Biography
Weber's fashion photography first appeared in the late 1970s in
GQGQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing upon fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
magazine, where he had frequent cover photos. Nan Bush, his longtime companion and agent, was able to secure a contract with
Federated Department StoresMacy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelry, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
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 KleinCalvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Calvin Klein also gave his name to a range of perfumes, including CK One and CK Be , now owned by Coty Inc...
. 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 SchenkenbergMarcus Lodewijk Schenkenberg van Mierop, better known as Marcus Schenkenberg is a model, actor, singer, writer, and TV personality born in Stockholm, Sweden to Dutch parents. He has dual citizenship with Sweden and the Netherlands....
barely holding
jeansJeans are pants, or trousers, made from denim. Mainly designed for work, they became popular among teenagers starting in the 1950s. Historic brands include Levi's and Wrangler....
in front of himself in a shower, catapulted him into the national spotlight. His photograph of
Calvin KleinCalvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Calvin Klein also gave his name to a range of perfumes, including CK One and CK Be , now owned by Coty Inc...
of Olympic athlete Tom Hintnaus in white briefs is an iconic image. He photographed the winter 2006
Ralph LaurenRalph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive. He is most notable for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
Collection.
After doing photo shoots for and of famous individuals (many of whom were featured in
Andy WarholAndrew Warhola , more commonly known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's
Interview magazineInterview is a magazine founded by artist Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga in 1969. Dedicated to the cult of celebrity which fascinated Warhol, it featured cutting-edge graphics and interviews of celebrities. These interviews were usually unedited or edited in the eccentric fashion of Warhol's books...
), Bruce entered the realm of filmmaking, making short films of teenage boxers (
Broken Noses), jazz trumpeter
Chet BakerChesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhorn player and singer....
(
Let's Get LostLet's Get Lost is a American documentary film about the turbulent life and career of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker written and directed by Bruce Weber.-Plot:A group of Baker fans, ranging from ex-associates to ex-wives and children, talk about the man...
), his beloved pet dogs, and later, a longer film entitled
Chop Suey.
Weber's photographs are occasionally in color, however most are in black and white or toned shades. They are gathered in limited edition print books, including
A House is Not a Home and
Bear Pond, an early work which featured, among other models,
Eric NiesEric Nies , is a former male fashion model and reality television personality. He first gained fame as a cast member on MTV's The Real World: New York, before going on to appear that show's spinoffs and other reality shows, such as The Grind and Confessions of a Teen Idol.-Family:Nies is the son of...
from
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
's
The Real WorldThe Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show is the longest-running program in MTV history. Following Bunim’s death from breast cancer in 2004, Bunim/Murray Productions continues to produce the...
series.
Weber began collaborating with crooner
Chris IsaakChristopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak ) is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Personal life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
in the mid-1980s. In 1986, he photographed Isaak for his second album,
Chris Isaak-Track listing:All tracks composed by Chris Isaak; except where indicated# "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love" – 3:51# "Heart Full of Soul" – 3:20# "Blue Hotel" – 3:10# "Lie to Me" – 4:12# "Fade Away" – 4:15# "Wild Love" – 2:57...
. In 1988, he photographed a shirtless Isaak in bed for a fashion spread in
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
. Isaak appeared in Weber's 1988 documentary about Jazz trumpeter
Chet BakerChesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhorn player and singer....
,
Let's Get LostLet's Get Lost is a American documentary film about the turbulent life and career of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker written and directed by Bruce Weber.-Plot:A group of Baker fans, ranging from ex-associates to ex-wives and children, talk about the man...
. He also directed Isaak's music video for "Blue Spanish Sky".
He photographed
Harry Connick, Jr.Harry Connick, Jr. is an American singer, actor, composer, and pianist. Connick has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. He is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States since 1952, by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 16 million certified albums....
for his 1991 album
Blue Light, Red LightBlue Light, Red Light, a big band album by American artist Harry Connick Jr., released in 1991. The multi-platinum album features Connick's vocals and piano, accompanied by his 14-piece big band....
.
In 1993, he photographed singer-songwriter
Jackson BrowneClyde Jackson Browne is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. His political interest and personal angst have been central to his career, resulting in popular songs such as "Somebody's Baby", "These Days", "The Pretender" and "Running On Empty"...
for his 1993 album
I'm AliveI'm Alive is the tenth album by American singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1993 . The title track, "I'm Alive", reached #18 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and #28 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Other singles released from the album were "Everywhere I Go" and "Sky Blue and Black"...
.
He is married to Nan Bush, with whom he sometimes collaborates.
Music video work
In 1988, Weber was approached by British pop duo
Pet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an British electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasionally guitar and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals....
, who were in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
to work with
Liza MinnelliLiza May Minnelli is an American singer and actress of film, stage and television. She is the daughter of entertainer Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
for her album
Results. The Pet Shop Boys wanted Weber to do a video for their forthcoming single, "Domino Dancing", from their album
Introspective. Weber was interested, but too busy with his current film, a documentary about Chet Baker, to accept.
Two years would pass before another opportunity for such a collaboration would present itself. By 1990, Pet Shop Boys had a new album,
Behaviour, and were releasing "
Being Boring"Being Boring" is a single by the British pop group Pet Shop Boys.As the second single from the 1990 album Behaviour, after "So Hard" which was released before the album, "Being Boring" was not particularly successful upon release, only reaching number twenty in the UK singles chart and being the...
" as a single. Weber took the project and directed a video, which would be both acclaimed and controversial. Weber's idea was to film a wild party with a very diverse group of people. Filmed in one day by two film crews in a house on Long Island, it was the most expensive Pet Shop Boys video at the time, costing roughly $225,000. Though no genitals or female nipples were shown, the male and female nudity sufficed to prevent the video from being played on
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
However, the Pet Shop Boys enjoyed the video immensely, and worked with Weber again in 1996, this time for a video for "Se a vida é", a song from their Latin-influenced album
Bilingual. This project was shot at Wet 'n' Wild, a
water parkA waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
near
Orlando, FloridaOrlando is a major city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan region...
.
In 2002, Weber again directed a Pet Shop Boys video, for the song "
I Get Along"I get along" is a single by the Pet Shop Boys from their album Release. A love song, Neil Tennant has also hinted that it can also be interpreted as commentary on the then fraught relationship between British prime minister Tony Blair and New Labour architect Peter Mandelson after the later had to...
" from the album
ReleaseRelease is the twelfth album, the eighth of entirely new music, by the UK electronic music duo Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 2002....
. Weber's concept was to film one of his photo shoots on location at his own Little Bear studio in New York City. The video has a documentary feel, showing the models, as well as the Pet Shop Boys themselves, eating lunch and getting ready before the shoot. The DVD version of the video includes a short film afterward featuring the song "E-mail", which was also Weber's idea.
Weber also directed
Chris IsaakChristopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak ) is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Personal life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
's music video "Blue Spanish Sky".
Fashion label
Weber created the fashion label Weberbilt in 2003; his first line, "eat, swim, sex, sleep", went on sale in boutiques in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and Miami in 2004.
Films
- Beauty Brothers (1987, 12:26 min, b&w/color)
- Broken Noses (1987, 75 min, b&w/color)
- Let's Get Lost
Let's Get Lost is a American documentary film about the turbulent life and career of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker written and directed by Bruce Weber.-Plot:A group of Baker fans, ranging from ex-associates to ex-wives and children, talk about the man...
(1988, 1:59:25 min, b&w)
- Backyard Movie (1991, 8:55 min, b&w)
- Gentle Giants (1994, 14:35 min, b&w/color)
- The Teddy Boys of the Edwardian Drape Society (1996, 3:45 min, b&w)
- Chop Suey (2000, 94 min, b&w/color)
- A Letter to True (2004, 78 min, b&w/color)
- Wine and Cupcakes (2007, 12:10 min, color)
Music videos
- Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an British electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasionally guitar and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals....
: "Being Boring"Being Boring" is a single by the British pop group Pet Shop Boys.As the second single from the 1990 album Behaviour, after "So Hard" which was released before the album, "Being Boring" was not particularly successful upon release, only reaching number twenty in the UK singles chart and being the...
" (1990)
- Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak ) is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Personal life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
: "Blue Spanish Sky" (1991)
- Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an British electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasionally guitar and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals....
: "Se a vida é (That’s the way life is)"Se a vida é " is a Pet Shop Boys song that was released as a single on 12 August 1996. It reached number eight in the UK singles chart at the end of the month and stayed in the Top 40 until early November 1996....
" (1996)
- Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an British electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasionally guitar and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals....
: "I Get Along"I get along" is a single by the Pet Shop Boys from their album Release. A love song, Neil Tennant has also hinted that it can also be interpreted as commentary on the then fraught relationship between British prime minister Tony Blair and New Labour architect Peter Mandelson after the later had to...
" (2002)
External links