KENNETH WILLARDT : MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kenneth Willardt is one of the most esteemed fashion and beauty photographers in the industry. He attended the Danish School of Photography in Copenhagen in his home country and apprenticed under photographer Torsten Graae. Here he perfected his talents then relocated in New York City in 1987 to further his career. Willardt has been referred to as the present day Irving Penn.

Willardt is most recognizable for his vivid images that embody today's beauty ideals. His works are extremely sharp and striking; he achieves an ultra high definition and surreal effect through his mastery of playing with light and shadows. Signature of Kenneth Willardt is his distinct attention to capturing details. His signature intensity creates an impasto-like effect in his work, obscuring the line between photography and painting.

Willardt has participated in many editorials and campaigns over his career, photographing with top magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Vogue China, Vogue Nippon, Italian Vanity Fair, Allure, UK Glamour, SELF, Vogue Brazil. Allure, A Magazine, Berliner, German Vogue, Spanish Vogue, Brazilian Vogue, US Glamour, British Glamour, GQ, and Vs. Magazine. He is a fundamental photographer for Harper’s Bazaar’s beauty section and has photographed the most iconic women in the work becomes even more astonishing when viewed in person and on a grand scale. Recently his images were projected in the Cube Art Fair at Times Square in New York City. In 2017, his work was presented in large scale as part of Harper’s Bazaar’s 150 year anniversary, projecting his most iconic images taken for the magazine onto the Empire State Building in New York City.

OUR NOTES ABOUT KENNETH WILLARDT

His work varies in tone and subject matter, yet the sharpness distinctive of his work is ever present. His ability to use his acute sense of light and shadow to create 3D like illusions for his audience is unparalleled.

Willards work is highly focused, he strategically employs light in order to dramatized his subject. With the rare capability to fade into total darkness in such high definition, he exhibits his skills with lighting. This is clearly apparent in a recent series done in partnership with Harper’s Bazaar and Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, called NYFW THAT’S RICH  on September 08 – September 09, 2019. In an Interview with the Huffington Post, Willardt describes what inspires his photographic style: “A lot of my aesthetic comes from my Danish roots with a mix of a modern, Brazilian style, [which I picked up] from spending time at my home in Rio. Also the American culture and history from living here for the past 20 years.”

In 2014 Kenneth Willardt published a book titled “The Beauty Book.” This book is an innovative take on the traditional coffee table book style, typical of most fashion photography books. Not only is it a work of art in its appearance, but Willardt reinvented the conventional fashion photography book and created an app version of his. While using the app, the images in the book transform into moving GIFs, morphing reality and creating an even more immersive and surreal experience for the viewer than he achieved with high definition alone.

In a work titled Molten Lips Willardt, he displays exceptional mastery of beauty shoots. The image is a closeup of golden shimmer lips and was previously published in Harper's Bazaar’s 150th Anniversary issue in November 2017. He has a niche ability to use makeup on his subjects as a painter uses oil on a canvas and once mixed with ultra high resolution and definition, sharp, hyper real, and multidimensional images are created.

Exhibitions:

Cube Art Fair, Times Square, New York City, 2021. Group exhibition

Makeup Closeups, The Selects Gallery, 2021. Group exhibition

That’s Rich, The Selects Gallery, Harper’s Bazaar, and Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, 2018.

Harper’s Bazaar Celebrates 150 Years, Empire State Building, New York City, 2017. Group exhibition

The Beauty Book, 588 Gallery, Chelsea, New York, 2014- 2015. Solo exhibition

Size Does Matter, 588 Gallery, Chelsea, New York, 2013. Solo exhibition

Kodak House, Tokyo, Japan

"Bullseye" branding campaign "Sign of the Times" for Target was included in the Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum's 2003 National Design Triennial

PRESS:

2003: "Photographer of the Year" award, Pantene Pro-V Beauty Awards, London.[1]

"Best New Photographer," PDN Magazine

PUBLICATIONS:

Beauty Book. Kempen, Germany: teNeues, 2014. In conjunction with an exhibition at 588 Gallery, Chelsea, New York.