Anton Corbijn - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

This page uses content from the Anton Corbijn biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Anton Corbijn (Corbijn virtually rhymes with "wine" and "fine" in pronunciation (German "ein" is closer), although many English speaking people pronounced it as "Corbain") (born May 20, 1955) is a photographer from Strijen in the Netherlands. He is also well known for directing music videos, including Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" (1989) and Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" (1993).

He is widely acknowledged by the music industry, mainly for being the creative director of the visual output of prominent bands like U2 and Depeche Mode, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade.

Career

Corbijn began taking photographs during a live concert in 1972. In 1979 he moved to London, England where he began to work with various rock bands such as Joy Division and Public Image Ltd. During this period Corbijn also began to take photographs for well known magazines such as Vogue and Rolling Stone Magazine.

After mastering photography Corbijn also decided to move into directing music videos.

In 1994, after directing various music videos, Corbijn directed a short film about Captain Beefheart for the BBC called "Some Yoyo Stuff".

Corbijn is due to direct the feature film Control: The Ian Curtis Film, about the life of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, in 2006. The film is based on Deborah Curtis's book Touching From A Distance about her late husband and the new bio Torn Apart by longtime Mancunians Lindsay Reade ( Tony Wilson's ex-wife) and Mick Middles.

In 2005, Palm Pictures released a DVD collection of Corbijn's music video output as part of the Director's Label series. As well as a 56-page booklet, the DVD also includes outtakes, shorts and documentaries as well as commentaries on various videos from the artists themselves.

Style

Corbijn tends to eschew traditional glamour photography, instead favoring a rawer look, often in black-and-white. His subjects appear to be calm and far removed from everyday life. His photographs show raw emotion. His patented and influential style of black and white imagery with stark contrasts on grainy film (sometimes referred to as "overcooked") has been imitated and copied in such extent that it has become a rock cliché and a vital part of the visual language in the 1990s.

Entertainers Corbijn has photographed

Adam Ant
Aimee Mann
Annie Lennox
Anthony Kiedis
Bauhaus
Beck
Bee Gees
Billy Idol
Björk
Bob Dylan
Bono
Boy George
Brian Eno
Brainstorm
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Springsteen
Bryan Ferry
Cabaret Voltaire (band)
Cameron Diaz
Captain Beefheart
Christy Turlington
Clint Eastwood
Coldplay
The Cramps
Danny DeVito
David Bowie
David Byrne
David Gahan
David Grohl
Debbie Harry
Dennis Hopper
Depeche Mode
Dwight Yoakam
Eagle-Eye Cherry
Easy-E
Echo & The Bunnymen
Elvis Costello
Foo Fighters
Frank Sinatra
Frank Tovey
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Close
Grace Jones

Helena Christensen
Henry Rollins
Herbert Grönemeyer
Ian Curtis
Ian McCulloch
Iggy Pop
The Immaculate Consumptive
Isabella Rossellini
Isaac Hayes
James Brown
Jeff Buckley
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jimmy Page
Jodie Foster
John Lee Hooker
Johnny Cash
Johnny Depp
Johnny Rotten
Jon Bon Jovi
Joseph Arthur
Joy Division
Julian Cope
Lou Reed
Luciano Pavarotti
Kate Bush
Keith Richards
Kraftwerk
Kurt Cobain
Kylie Minogue
LL Cool J
Lene Marlin
Lenny Kravitz
Madness
Mansun
Massive Attack
Marianne Faithfull
Martin Gore
Martin Scorsese
Metallica
Michael Franti
Michael Schumacher
Michael Stipe
Mick Jagger
Miles Davis
Morrissey
Naomi Campbell

Neil Young
Nick Cave
Nicolas Cage
Nirvana
P. J. Harvey
Palais Schaumburg
Paul Oakenfold
Pet Shop Boys
Pete Townsend
Peter Gabriel
Peter Hammill
Peter Murphy
Propaganda
Quentin Tarantino
R.E.M.
Robert Deniro
Robert Plant
Rolling Stones
Roy Orbison
Saybia
Sean Penn
Simple Minds
Sinéad O'Connor
Siouxsie Sioux
Skin
Skunk Anansie
Sophie Zelmani
Steely Dan
Stephen Dorff
Steven Spielberg
Stevie Wonder
Sting
Takeshi Kitano
The Killers
Therapy?
Travis
Trent Reznor
Tom Jones
Tom Waits
Tricky
U2
Van Morrison
Vanessa Paradis
Wilco
Willem Dafoe
William Gibson
William S. Burroughs
Xmal Deutschland
Zucchero
ZZ Top

Music video filmography

"Hockey," Palais Schaumburg (1983)
"Beat Box," Art of Noise (1984)
"Dr. Mabuse," Propaganda (1984)
"Red Guitar," David Sylvian (1984)
"Seven Seas," Echo & the Bunnymen (1984)
"The Ink in the Well," David Sylvian (1984)
"Pride (In the Name of Love)" (third version), U2 (1984)
"Bring on the Dancing Horses," Echo & the Bunnymen (1985)
"Quiet Eyes," Golden Earring (1986)
"A Question of Time," Depeche Mode (1986)
"Bedbugs and Ballyhoo," Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
"Strangelove," Depeche Mode (1987)
"Pimpf," Depeche Mode (1987)
"The Game," Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
"Never Let Me Down Again," Depeche Mode (1987)
"Lips Like Sugar" (first version), Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
"Behind the Wheel," Depeche Mode (1987)
"Welcome to Paradise," Front 242
"My Secret Place," Joni Mitchell with Peter Gabriel (1988)
"Blueprint," Rainbirds (1988)
"Atmosphere," Joy Division (1988)
"Headhunter," Front 242 (1988)
"Faith and Healing," Ian McCulloch (1989)
"Sea of Time," Rainbirds (1989)
"White City of Light," Rainbirds (1989)
"Personal Jesus," Depeche Mode (1989)
"Killer Wolf," Danzig (1990)
"Enjoy the Silence" (first version), Depeche Mode (1990)
"Policy of Truth," Depeche Mode (1990)
"World in My Eyes," Depeche Mode (1990)
"May This Be Your Last Sorrow," Banderas (1990)
"Clean," Depeche Mode (1991)
"Marie," Herbert Grönemeyer (1991)
"Two Faces," Rainbirds (1991)
"Tragedy (For You)," Front 242 (1991)
"Halo," Depeche Mode (1991)
"Front By Front," Front 242 (1992)
"Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll," Garland Jeffreys (1992)
"Lover Lover Lover," Ian McCulloch (1992)
"One" (original version), U2 (1992)
"Straight To You," Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1992)
"Dirty Black Summer," Danzig (1992)
"Do I Have to Say the Words?", Bryan Adams (1992)
"I Feel You," Depeche Mode (1993)
"Walking In My Shoes," Depeche Mode (1993)
"Condemnation" (first version), Depeche Mode (1993)
"Heart-Shaped Box," Nirvana (1993), winner MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video
"Delia's Gone," Johnny Cash (1994)
"Mockingbirds," Grant Lee Buffalo (1994)
"In Your Room," Depeche Mode (1994)
"Liar," Henry Rollins (1994)
"Love & Tears," Naomi Campbell (1994)
"Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?", Bryan Adams (1995)
"My Friends (song) (first version)," Red Hot Chili Peppers (1995)
"Hero of the Day," Metallica (1996)
"Mama Said," Metallica (1996)
"Barrel of a Gun," Depeche Mode (1997)
"It's No Good," Depeche Mode (1997)
"Useless," Depeche Mode (1997)
"Please" (first version), U2 (1997)
"Bleibt Alles Anders," Herbert Grönemeyer (1998)
"Fanatisch," Herbert Grönemeyer (1998)
"Goddess on a Hiway" (second version), Mercury Rev (1998)
"Salvation," Roxette (1999)
"Opus 40" (first version), Mercury Rev (1999)
"Stars," Roxette (1999)
"Chemical" (first version), Joseph Arthur (2000)
"In The Sun," Joseph Arthur (2000)
"Invalid Litter Dept.," At the Drive-In (2001)
"Freelove" (second version), Depeche Mode (2001)
"Mensch," Herbert Grönemeyer (2002)
"Electrical Storm", U2 (2002)
"Re-Offender," Travis (2003)
"Zum Meer," Herbert Grönemeyer (2003)
"All These Things That I've Done" (second version) The Killers (2005)
"Talk", Coldplay (2005)
"Suffer Well," Depeche Mode (2005)

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)

External links

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