Biography
It has been over 30 years since Anton Corbijn, born 1955 in Strijen, the Netherlands, discovered photography though his love of music whilst still at high school. Using his father’s camera to take his first photos at an open-air concert in 1972, stage photography quickly developed into portraiture. Anton Corbijn has lived in London since 1979 and is today widely regarded as one of the most influential portrait photographers in the world.
An autodidact, he has changed his approach to photography a number of times over the years but has kept relatively close to his original subject matter; artists and, specifically, musicians. Some of his most famous photographs feature Clint Eastwood, Cameron Diaz, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Naomi Campbell, William S. Burroughs, Tom Waits, Allen Ginsberg, Isabella Rossellini, Joni Mitchell, Bono and Robert De Niro.
Since 1990, alongside photography, Anton has also worked in graphic design creating posters and CD covers. Though not formally trained in graphic design, he has developed a specific style through creating original type-faces using paint. In this way he has designed posters and record sleeves for artists like Herbert Grönemeyer and Depeche Mode.
Anton Corbijn’s exhibitions have been extremely successful throughout Europe and his work can be seen in museums, galleries and in 14 published books. In addition, his work can be seen on around 100 record/CD sleeves for artists including U2, R.E.M., The Bee Gees, Travis, Morrissey, The Rolling Stones, John Lee Hooker, Bryan Ferry, Herbert Grönemeyer, The Killers, Bruce Springsteen, James Last, JJ Cale, Nick Cave, Marianne Faithfull, and Metallica.
Anton Corbijn is interested in pushing his personal boundaries and was, in 1983, one of the first photographers to work stills and video in combination. He has since directed approximately 80 music videos for, among others, U2, Johnny Cash, Mercury Rev, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, Nick Cave, The Killers and has made a short film with and about Don van Vliet a.k.a. Captain Beefheart, ‘Some Yo Yo Stuff’ that was commissioned by the BBC.
Control is Anton Corbijn’s first feature film, is one of his most ambitious projects to date and a further testament to his versatile artistic career. The subjects of Ian Curtis and Joy Division are very close to Anton’s heart as the Manchester band was the reason that he moved from Holland to London to “be closer to where their music came from”. As for the look of the film, the black & White images show a story set in a very English landscape but seen through European eyes.
