Herb Ritts, In Retrospect

In the late 1970s, the mostly self-taught, Los Angeles–based photographer Herb Ritts stumbled upon success, after his impromptu images of his longtime friend Richard Gere—taken at a California gas station, on a lark—were widely published and well received. For the next two decades, Ritts distinguished himself from his East Coast counterparts with his clean, minimal aesthetic and knack for Southern California light and landscapes. He also built an incomparable portfolio of fashion and celebrity portraiture as well as provocative, sculptural nudes, often featuring famous athletes and dancers. Before his untimely death in 2002, at the age of 50, Ritts had been the master behind 13 music videos (Madonna, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears), more than 50 television commercials (Chanel, Calvin Klein, Estée Lauder), hundreds of magazine spreads, with almost 40 covers for Vanity Fair alone, and eight books, including this month’s Herb Ritts L.A. Style—a retrospective monograph and exhibition on display at Los Angeles’s J. Paul Getty Museum from April 3 through August 26. Approaching the 10th anniversary of his death, VF.com refocuses on Ritts’s multifaceted and ever fashionable career, with an exclusive selection of renowned as well as several previously unpublished photographs from the show.

By Lenora Jane Estes

Photography by Herb Ritts

April 3, 2012

This image may contain Clothing Apparel Footwear Shoe High Heel Human Person Female Evening Dress Robe and Fashion

Greg Louganis, Hollywood, 1985.
Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis in Hollywood.
Djimon Three-Quarter Nude, Back View, Hollywood, 1989.
Actor and model Djimon Hounsou in Hollywood.

Madonna, Hollywood, 1986.
Madonna (whom Ritts also photographed for the cover of *Vanity Fair’*s December 1986 issue and directed in his first music video, “Cherish,” in 1989) in Hollywood.
Woman in Sea, Hawaii, 1988.
Cindy Crawford, emerging from the sea in Hawaii.

Richard Gere, San Bernardino, 1977.
The iconic shot of Ritts’s longtime friend Richard Gere in San Bernardino, California.
Djimon with Octopus, Hollywood, 1989.
Djimon Hounsou, famously photographed by Ritts with an octopus on his head, in Hollywood.

Tony in White, Hollywood, 1988.
Tony Ward, one of Ritts’s frequent models, in Hollywood.
Cindy Crawford, Ferre 3, Malibu, 1993.
Supermodel Cindy Crawford (whom Ritts introduced to her first husband, Richard Gere) on the beach in Malibu, California.

Christy Turlington, Versace 3, Milan, 1991.
Supermodel Christy Turlington in Versace, Milan, Italy.
Tatjana, Veiled Head, Joshua Tree, 1988.
Supermodel Tatjana Patitz in Joshua Tree, California.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Point Dume, 1987.
Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee at Point Dume, California.
Male (Mark Findley) Nude with Socks, Los Angeles, 1990.
Model Mark Findley in Los Angeles.

Man with Chains, Los Angeles, 1985.
Tony Ward wrapped in chains in Los Angeles.
Bill T. Jones VI, Los Angeles, 1995.
Dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones in Los Angeles.

Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage, 1990.
Versace campaign, shot in El Mirage, California.
Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989.
Supermodels Stephanie Seymour, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, and Naomi Campbell in Hollywood.

Wrapped Torso, Los Angeles, 1989.
One of Ritts’s models wearing an Issey Miyake dress in Los Angeles.
Versace Veiled Dress, El Mirage, 1990.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell, braving a desert gale-force wind while wearing Versace, in El Mirage, California.