Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn
Corbijn at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival (2012)
Born	(1955-05-20) 20 May 1955 (age 57) Strijen, Netherlands
Residence	London, United Kingdom[1]
Occupation	Photographer, film director, music video director
Years active	1983–present
Website
www.corbijn.co.uk

Anton Corbijn (Dutch pronunciation: [kɔrˈbɛin]; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,^[2][3] having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for almost 3 decades. Some of his works include music videos for Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" (1990) and Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" (1993), as well as the Ian Curtis biopic Control (2007),^[4] George Clooney's The American (2010), and A Most Wanted Man (2012) based on John le Carré's 2008 novel of the same name.

Life and career

Corbijn was born in Strijen, the Netherlands. He started his career of music photographer when he saw the Dutch musician Herman Brood playing at a cafe in Groningen (the Netherlands) around 1975. He took a lot of photos of the 'rising star' Herman Brood & His Wild Romance. Because of the pictures taken by Corbijn, Brood's fame rose quickly, and as a result Corbijn's own exposure increased.

Corbijn has photographed Joy Division, Depeche Mode, U2, Prāta Vētra, David Bowie, Peter Hammill, Miles Davis, Björk, Captain Beefheart, Kim Wilde, Robert De Niro, Stephen Hawking, Elvis Costello, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Morrissey, Clint Eastwood, Roxette and Herbert Grönemeyer, amongst others. He is famous for his work in black and white. In May 1989, he began taking pictures in color using filters: his first try was done for Siouxsie Sioux.^[5]

Corbijn has designed album covers for U2, Peter Hammill, Depeche Mode, The Creatures (the second band of Siouxsie Sioux), Nick Cave, Bryan Adams, Metallica, Therapy?, The Rolling Stones, R.E.M., The Bee Gees, Saybia and Moke.

Corbijn began his music video directing career when Palais Schaumburg asked him to direct a video. After seeing the resulting video for Hockey, the band Propaganda had Corbijn direct Dr. Mabuse. After that he directed videos for David Sylvian, Simple Minds, Echo & the Bunnymen, Golden Earring, Front 242, Depeche Mode, Roxette and U2.

His first video in color was made for U2 in 1984 for their single "Pride (In the Name of Love)".

In 1994 Corbijn directed a short film about Captain Beefheart/Don Van Vliet for the BBC called Some Yoyo Stuff.

In 2005 Palm Pictures released a DVD collection of Corbijn's music video output as part of the Director's Label series.

Corbijn made his feature film debut with Control, a film about the life of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. It premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2007.^[6][7] The film is based on Deborah Curtis' book Touching From A Distance about her late husband and the biography Torn Apart by Lindsay Reade (Tony Wilson's ex-wife) and Mick Middles. Although shown outside the Palme d'Or competition, Control was the big winner of the Director's Fortnight winning the CICAE Art & Essai prize for best film, the "Regards Jeunes" Prize award for best first or second directed feature film and the Europa Cinemas Label prize for best European film in the sidebar.^[8]

Author William Gibson refers to a fictitious portrait by Corbijn of the character Hollis Henry in his 2007 novel Spook Country.^[9] A Corbijn photograph has served as the author's portrait on many of Gibson's books, including Neuromancer.^[10]

In 2009, a documentary called Shadow Play - The making of Anton Corbijn was made. The year after, Corbijn returned as a director with the character based spy movie "The American", starring George Clooney.

In May 2011 Corbijn presented 'Mandela Landscape'. This artwork consisted of Corbijn's portrait of Nelson Mandela, stitched by Dutch textile artist Berend Strik. Both the original work and 80 signed art prints will be sold to fund the international edition of ZAM Magazine, an independent platform of African talent.

In June 2011 A Most Wanted Man was announced in Germany. The novel, which was loosely based on the true War on Terror story of Murat Kurnaz, was set in part in Hamburg, as parts of the movie will be.^[11]

On 26 October 2011 Corbijn directed a webcast by Coldplay from the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain.^[12]

On 19 December 2011, he was announced as being on the jury for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, scheduled to be held in February 2012.^[13] At this occasion, the Berlinale Special screenings at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele will screen Anton Corbijn - Inside Out, a 80 min-documentary directed by Klaartje Quirijns.

Filmography

Music videos

Films

Books by Corbijn

• Famouz (1989)
• Strangers (1990)
• Allegro (1991)
• Grönemeyer, Photographien von Anton Corbijn (1993)
• Star Trak (1996)
• 33 Still Lives (1999)
• Stripping Girls (2000, with Marlene Dumas)
• Werk (2000)
• A. Somebody, Strijen, Holland (2002)
• Everybody Hurts (2003)
• U2 & I (2005)
• In Control (2008)
• Inside The American (2010)
• Inwards and Onwards (2011)
• Waits (2012)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anton Corbijn

External links

• Official website
• Anton Corbijn at the Internet Movie Database
• Director videography MVDbase.com
• Director's Label info PalmPictures.com
• Hasselblad: Masters: Anton Corbijn (January 2001)