Steven Klein
Steven Klein was born in 1961 in New York where, encouraged by his parents, he took up working on ceramics. He used his first camera when he became an Art student at the Rhode Island School of Design from which he then graduated.
In the mid 1970s he began exploring violent and erotic themes and his style became more provocative.
In November 2001 he worked on the promotional pictures and the album cover of Britney Spears’ third album “Britney”.
Three years later, he shot Madonna for the exhibition “X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS“ and a shirt-less Brad Pitt being brutally arrested by the police.
In 2007 he worked on the “Dieux du Stade” calendar featuring nude French Rugbymen.
In 2008, he shot a half naked Eva Mendes for a Calvin Klein ad, and reunited with Madonna whom he shot for Dolce & Gabana. Klein also worked for Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Versace.
He worked on a new video collaboration in 2010, but with Lady Gaga this time for her song “Alejandro”, exploring yet again some of his favorite themes: pornography, religion and gore. That same year he also participated to the 25th international festival of photography in Hyères, France.
“He literally digs to expose, if you want, the beast within” explained art curator Neville Wakefield.
In September 2011, Klein worked on “Time Capsule” a video installation composed of ten screens installed at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The film showed model and actress Amber Valetta ageing from 20 to 120 years old with the help of realistic make up and prosthetic work. His work on the aging process was then published in the September issue of W Magazine.
Klein is currently 51 years old and is living in New York. He regularly works with the French, Italian and American editions of Vogue Magazine, as well as with i-D, Numéro, W and Arena.
