Elton John, The Boxer, London, from the Elton John AIDS Foundation Photography Portfolio I

Maker Teller, Juergen German, b. 1964

Date2008

MediumChromogenic development print

Dimensionsimage: 16 in x 20 in; paper: 20 in x 24 in

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2009:284.9

About the ArtistMost notable for his fashion photography, Juergen Teller’s commercial images have been featured in publications such as Vogue, Another Magazine, Index, W Magazine, Details, Purple, and i-D among many others. Since 1996 Teller’s work—in books, magazines and exhibition—is marked by his refusal to utilize photographic tricks and post production editing to enhance and perfect the subjects of his portraits. Rather, he emphasizes the individuals’ so-called imperfections—such as wrinkles, greasy skin, messy or unwanted hair—and highlights these flaws by using a Contax G2 camera with an onboard flash, creating his signature overexposed images. Though perhaps seen as spontaneous, his images are always the result of thoughtful planning and precise staging.

Juergen Teller studied at the Bayerische Staatslehranstalt für Photographie in Munich, Germany from 1984 to 1986. He has been included in multiple exhibitions around the world, including Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany, (2015); Institute of Contemporary Art, London (2014); Palazzo Reale, Milan, Italy (2012), Lentos Museum, Linz, Austria (2015); Musee d’Orsay, Paris, (2013); and the International Center of Photography, New York, (2013).