Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts (born August 13, 2952 – Dec. 26, 2002 in Los Angeles, California) was famous for his white background with strong forms and clear lines work. He was so famous that when his work was displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts he attracted 253,000 people.
Style
American Fashion Photographer
Beginnings
Herb Ritts started out in the family furniture business in California. He later moved to New York and majored in Economics and Art History and later became friends with actor Richard Gere. He ended up taking pictures of the actor and from there gained notability and decided to become a serious photographer.
Career
Herb Ritts photos appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Rolling Stone, GQ and Elle magazines. He was a favorite of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Gianni Versace, Chanel and Donna Karan’s advertising campaigns and also published books on their work.
He also worked on commercials for Calvin Klein, Levis, Guess, Guy Laroche, Donna Karan, Chanel, Cartier and Victoria’s Secret.
Music Videos
Herb Ritts directed a number of award winning music videos. The first famous music video he directed was “Cherish” in 1989 by Madonna and from there he became a famous video director. He worked with Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, N’Sync, Brittany Spears and Shakira.
Charities
Herb Ritts was committed to a number of charities and causes and one of them was HIV/AIDS. He contributed to Amfar, Special Olympics, Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Project Angel Food, started his own Herb Ritts Foundation and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Elton John Aids Foundation.
Honors
Herb Ritts won 2 MTV Music Video Awards for his Janet Jackson and Chris Isaak work.