Anton Corbijn – MOØDe

MOØDe

In the exhibition MOØDe, Anton Corbijn (Strijen, 1955) presents photographs from his extensive oeuvre (between 1979 – 2023) in which he explores the crossover between portrait photography and the fashion world. In doing so, Corbijn embraces the terms ‘mood’ and ‘mode’ (‘fashion’) in the broadest sense. Corbijn is an admirer of fashion photographers such as Irving Penn, Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, Paolo Roversi and Helmut Newton. Whereas these photographers usually do portraits in addition to fashion photography, with Corbijn it is the other way around: he is a portrait photographer who occasionally visits the fashion world.

Photography plays a major role in the global fashion culture and industry. It largely determines how we look at fashion design and is used by designers to amplify their vision and visual identity. The trendy and ever-changing fashion world collaborates with photographers and visual artists who not only capture reality but also actually create it. For photography, the fashion world’s distinct visual universe is a very rewarding subject. With MOØDe, Anton Corbijn shows that fashion is all around us.  

“I predominantly photograph personalities, but fashion is increasingly part of it. We all decide every morning what we will wear that day, even if it is just a hat or a black T-shirt. Fashion is not always spelled with a capital F.” — Anton Corbijn 

Trademark

With their strong contrast and special light as trademarks, Corbijn's photos always manage to command your attention. Also, because of his extraordinary compositions and creative way of photographing. He regards himself as a cross between a traditional portrait photographer and a documentary photographer out to record people in their own physical surroundings and social circumstances. He draws inspiration for the dramatic effects in his photographs from the unorthodox documentary work of photographers such as Ed van der Elsken, Robert Frank and Koen Wessing. Time and again, Corbijn surprises and captivates the viewer with his unique perspective on people and musicians. 

As visual director behind British band Depeche Mode and through his decades-long collaboration with Irish rock band U2 and American singer Tom Waits, he has left a mark on how we see an important part of contemporary culture.  

Besides being a photographer, Corbijn has long been a well-known director who has received international recognition for his music videos and feature films. Corbijn is currently working on a new film called “Switzerland”, starring British actress Helen Mirren as Patricia Highsmith. 

Photobook: MOØDe

The beautiful publication MOØDe in English contains almost 200 photographs from Corbijn’s exhibition of the same name and an essay by Karen Van Godtsenhoven, The Costume Institute associate curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Hannibal Books publish the book and available for €64.90 at the Cobra Museum’s shop, among other places.