Anton Corbijn came to London in his twenties, attracted by the emerging New Wave music scene. There he began working as a photographer for the magazine "New Musical Express". Corbijn eventually became a key figure in the music industry and has been responsible for the visual image and music videos of bands such as U2, Depeche Mode, Nirvana and Coldplay.
Corbijn mainly portrays famous people he admires. Corbijn shoots spontaneously, without much planning and in natural light. It's a method that harks back to his work in the 1970s and 80s. He has portrayed the idols of his youth in black and white and with mystifying dark work, and the images are like the music, raspy yet sentimental. In the various portraits, Corbijn combines a stripped-down aesthetic with an intimate portrayal of the subjects. This contrast creates a visual tension in the images.
Corbijn chooses his models and compositions carefully, giving each person their own pose, their own expression. The auction photo of Icelandic music phenomenon Björk is a clear example of Corbijn's sense of character and idiosyncratic expression. Björk is a shy star who is reluctant to pose as a model. Here, however, Corbijn manages to portray her fragile and sentimental side in a way that is both genuine and personal.