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Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

American, 1952-2000

Herb Ritts Jr. fashioned himself into one of the top photographers to emerge from the 1980s.

Ritts's aesthetic incorporated facets of life in and around Los Angeles. He often made use of the bright California sunlight to produce bold contrasts, and his preference for outdoor locations such as the desert and the beach helped to separate his photography from that of his New York-based peers.

Ritts's intimate portraiture, his modern yet classical treatment of the nude, and his innovative approach to fashion brought him international acclaim and placed him securely within an American tradition of portrait and magazine photography that includes Richard Avedon, Robert Mapplethorpe and Irving Penn.

From the late 1970s until Ritts's untimely death from AIDS-related complications in 2002, his ability to create images that successfully bridged the gap between art and commerce was not only a testament to the power of his imagination and technical skill, but also marked the synergistic union between art, popular culture and business that followed in the wake of the Pop art movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

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Artist: Herb Ritts
Brigitte Nielsen for Herb Ritts - Pair of 2 Photographs - 1987
Brigitte Nielsen for Herb Ritts - Pair of 2 Photographs - 1987

Brigitte Nielsen for Herb Ritts - Pair of 2 Photographs - 1987

By Herb Ritts

Located in Roma, IT

Outstanding pair of vintage photographs realized by Herb Ritts for Playboy n. 12/1987. Playboy reference numbers on rear. Excellent condition. Herb Ritts (1952–2002) was an Americ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

k.d. lang and Cindy Crawford, Los Angeles
k.d. lang and Cindy Crawford, Los Angeles

k.d. lang and Cindy Crawford, Los Angeles

By Herb Ritts

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Herb Ritts (1952-2002) was a Los Angeles-born photographer acclaimed for his celebrity portraits, nudes, and fashion photography from the 1970s onward. His dynamic career defied boun...

Category

1990s Contemporary Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Brigitte Nielsen for Herb Ritts - Pair of 2 Photographs - 1987
Brigitte Nielsen for Herb Ritts - Pair of 2 Photographs - 1987

Brigitte Nielsen for Herb Ritts - Pair of 2 Photographs - 1987

By Herb Ritts

Located in Roma, IT

Outstanding pair of vintage photographs realized by Herb Ritts for Playboy n. 12/1987. Playboy reference numbers on rear. Excellent condition. Herb Ritts (1952–2002) was an Americ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Untitled - Woman's Back In Bikini Bottom At Beach
Untitled - Woman's Back In Bikini Bottom At Beach

Untitled - Woman's Back In Bikini Bottom At Beach

By Herb Ritts

Located in Carmel, CA

Unsigned. Authenticated original Herb Ritts Print Notations on Verso Silver Gelatin Photograph Over Matted In Corners

Category

1980s Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Richard Gere, San Bernardino

Richard Gere, San Bernardino

By Herb Ritts

Located in New York, NY

Signed by the photographer

Category

1970s Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Jack Nicholson I, London

Jack Nicholson I, London

By Herb Ritts

Located in New York, NY

Signed by the photographer

Category

1980s Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Antonio Banderas, Malibu

Antonio Banderas, Malibu

By Herb Ritts

Located in New York, NY

Signed by the photographer.

Category

1990s Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

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Previously Available Items
Stephanie Seymour for Herb Ritts - Pair of 3 Photographs - 1991
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Stephanie Seymour for Herb Ritts - Pair of 3 Photographs - 1991

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Djimon-Censored, Los Angeles

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Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

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Located in New York, NY

Ed. 5/25, signed in pencil on verso. Includes black frame with white mat. Herb Ritts regularly photographed the most famous celebrities of the 1980s and 1990s. For an August 1992 co...

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Mel Gibson by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Mel Gibson by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Mel Gibson by Herb Ritts Vintage print

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Located in London, GB

"Mel Gibson" 1985 by Herb Ritts International star Mel Gibson posing in front of the lens of Herb Ritts. Unframed Matted Overall size : 11 x 14" inches / 28 x 36 cm Image Size: 8.5" x 9.5'' inches / 21 x 24 cm Printed 2012 Quadtone Print Mint condition Certificate of authenticity Framing option available Shipped securely from London, England. Mel Gibson is an American actor, director, and producer, who made his acting debut on the Australian television drama series The Sullivans (1976–1983).[1] While a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, he was given an uncredited role in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and subsequently appeared as a leading actor in the micro budget surf drama Summer City (both in 1977).[2][3] Gibson rose to prominence during the Australian New Wave cinema movement in the early 1980s, having appeared in his breakthrough role in George Miller's dystopian action film Mad Max (1979), portraying the eponymous hero. He reprised the role in its sequels, Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).[2][4] He appeared in Peter Weir...

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1980s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

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Male Nude with Tumbleweed, Paradise Cove by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Male Nude with Tumbleweed, Paradise Cove by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Male Nude with Tumbleweed, Paradise Cove by Herb Ritts Vintage print

By Herb Ritts

Located in London, GB

"Male Nude with Tumbleweed, Paradise Cove" 1986 by Herb Ritts A chiseled male models physic poses on Paradise Cove beach front, hidden behind tubmleweed. Unframed Matted Overall size : 16 x 20" inches / 41 x 51 cm Image Size: 8.75 " x 10'' inches / 22 x 26 cm Printed 1988 Toned silver Print Mint condition Certificate of authenticity Framing option available Shipped securely from London, England. Mel Gibson is an American actor, director, and producer, who made his acting debut on the Australian television drama series The Sullivans (1976–1983).[1] While a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, he was given an uncredited role in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and subsequently appeared as a leading actor in the micro budget surf drama Summer City (both in 1977).[2][3] Gibson rose to prominence during the Australian New Wave cinema movement in the early 1980s, having appeared in his breakthrough role in George Miller's dystopian action film Mad Max (1979), portraying the eponymous hero. He reprised the role in its sequels, Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).[2][4] He appeared in Peter Weir...

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1980s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White

Elizabeth Taylor by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Elizabeth Taylor by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Elizabeth Taylor by Herb Ritts Vintage print

By Herb Ritts

Located in London, GB

Elizabeth Taylor 1991 by Herb Ritts American actress and icon, Elizabeth Taylor, poses with towel and diamond ring. Unframed Matted Overall size : 16 x 20" inches / 41 x 51 cm Image Size: 11" x 13.5'' inches / 28 x 35 cm Printed 1996 Silver Gelatin Print Mint condition Certificate of authenticity Framing option available Shipped securely from London, England. Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor DBE (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. She then became the highest paid movie star in the 1960s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the seventh-greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood cinema. Born in London to socially prominent American parents, Taylor moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1939. She made her acting debut with a minor role in the Universal Pictures film There's One Born Every Minute (1942), but the studio ended her contract after a year. She was then signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and became a popular teen star after appearing in National Velvet (1944). She transitioned to mature roles in the 1950s, when she starred in the comedy Father of the Bride (1950) and received critical acclaim for her performance in the drama A Place in the Sun (1951). Despite being one of MGM's most bankable stars, Taylor wished to end her career in the early 1950s. She resented the studio's control and disliked many of the films to which she was assigned. She began receiving more enjoyable roles in the mid-1950s, beginning with the epic drama Giant (1956), and starred in several critically and commercially successful films in the following years. These included two film adaptations of plays by Tennessee Williams: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959); Taylor won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for the latter. Although she disliked her role as a call girl in BUtterfield 8...

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1990s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

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Black and White

Dijmon with Octopus by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Dijmon with Octopus by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Dijmon with Octopus by Herb Ritts Vintage print

By Herb Ritts

Located in London, GB

Dijmon with Octopus 1989 by Herb Ritts A gorgeous black and white shot of actor and model Dijmon posing with an Octopus on his head. Unframed Matted Overall size : 12 x 16" inches...

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1980s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

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Naomi with Raised Arms Los Angeles by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Naomi with Raised Arms Los Angeles by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Naomi with Raised Arms Los Angeles by Herb Ritts Vintage print

By Herb Ritts

Located in London, GB

Naomi with Raised Arms Los Angeles 1988 by Herb Ritts World renowned British super model, Naomi Campbell, posing in front of the lens with her arms raised. Unframed Matted Overall ...

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1980s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

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Richard Gere, Close-Up, San Bernardino by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Richard Gere, Close-Up, San Bernardino by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Richard Gere, Close-Up, San Bernardino by Herb Ritts Vintage print

By Herb Ritts

Located in London, GB

Richard Gere, Close-Up, San Bernardino 1988 by Herb Ritts A close up shot with the iconic Richard Gere through the lens of Herb Ritts. Unframed Matted Overall size : 11 x 14" inches / 28 x 36 cm Image Size: 6.75" x 10'' inches / 17 x 26 cm Printed 2012 Silver Gelatin Print Mint condition Certificate of authenticity Framing option available Shipped securely from London, England. Richard Tiffany Gere (/ɡɪər/ GEER;[1][2] born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in Days of Heaven (1978). He came to prominence with his role in the film American Gigolo...

Category

1980s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

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Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage by Herb Ritts Vintage print

By Herb Ritts

Located in London, GB

Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage 1990 by Herb Ritts The image was taken at El Mirage dry lakebed in California, and is characteristic of Ritts’ heady, sun-soaked oeuvre, and its ...

Category

1990s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White

Christy Turlington, Versace 3, Milan by Herb Ritts Vintage print
Christy Turlington, Versace 3, Milan by Herb Ritts Vintage print

Christy Turlington, Versace 3, Milan by Herb Ritts Vintage print

By Herb Ritts

Located in London, GB

Christy Turlington, Versace 3, Milan 1991 by Herb Ritts Supermodel Christy Turlington in Versace, Milan, Italy. Unframed Matted Overall size : 11 x 14" inches / 28 x 36 cm Image Si...

Category

1990s Modern Herb Ritts Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White

Herb Ritts black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Herb Ritts black and white photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Herb Ritts in silver gelatin print, paper, photographic paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Herb Ritts black and white photography, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ruth Orkin, Danny Lyon, and Ed Feingersh. Herb Ritts black and white photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $695 and tops out at $10,000, while the average work can sell for $695.
Questions About Herb Ritts Black and White Photography
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Herb Ritts was known for his black and white style of photography. He shot a wide range of celebrities and iconic figures in the 1980s and ‘90s, and his work took inspiration from ancient Greek sculpture styles. On 1stDibs, find a collection of authentic Herb Ritts pieces from top sellers around the world.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Herb Ritts got into photography because of his friend, the actor Richard Gere. Before Gere became famous, Ritts agreed to take promotional photos of him in front of a classic car. The media widely circulated the photograph, and Ritts became more interested in the art form. You'll find a range of Herb Ritts photographic art on 1stDibs.