Renowned surrealist artist George Hoyningen-Huene's exhibition makes its debut in Singapore.

Presented and brought to Singapore by Grupo Artitude, “George Hoyningen-Huene: The Master of Élégance & Allure” is showcased at the ARTitude Galeria from 26 April to 24 May 2024.

Known as the “lion of fashion photography,” George Hoyningen-Huene produced some of the most remarkable pictures of the early twentieth century, integrating art, luxury fashion, music, and cinema. His avant-garde and exploratory work drew inspiration from diverse artistic traditions, including surrealism, modernism, and neoclassicism. His expertise in these themes would subsequently inspire a generation of succeeding photographers, including Horst P. Horst, Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon. The exhibition “George Hoyningen-Huene: The Master of Élégance & Allure” at ARTitude Galeria underscores the cultural importance of George Hoyningen-Huene. The inaugural exhibition, presented by Grupo Artitude in Singapore, features a retrospective of Hoyningen-Huene’s notable works. The exhibition, shown for the inaugural time in Singapore, features an array of bizarre black and white photographs, encompassing portraits of artists, models, and the elite, among stunning shots of Hollywood's golden age luminaries.

 The show, in partnership with the George Hoyningen-Huene Estate Archives, seeks to highlight Hoyningen-Huene's many skills, including his use of studio lighting and his pioneering approach as one of the first fashion photographers to capture subjects in natural light.

 Who is George Hoyningen-Huene?

Born in the year 1900 in St. Petersburg, Russia, George Hoyningen-Huene first made a name for himself as a well-respected fashion illustrator. His art teacher was the French cubist painter André Lhote. George Hoyningen-Huene eventually found his way to Paris where he met the renowned surrealist photographer, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky) leading to many collaborative series of fashion photographs in 1924. He would then find himself as one of the pioneers of modern fashion photography, capturing the style of Parisian haute couture fashion houses the likes of Chanel, Balenciaga and the jeweller Cartier. In 1946, Huene was persuaded to make the trip to Hollywood by director George Cukor, a move that would ultimately see Huene making the shift from fashion to cinema, photographing some of the twentieth century’s greatest movie stars including Ingrid Bergman, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Ava Gardner and Katharine Hepburn. It was there where he showcased his prowess and appreciation for taste, art and beauty.

The Surrealist Movement

The word “surrealist” was coined by the French avant-garde poet Guillaume Apollinaire in 1917 and suggests “beyond reality”. While in 1924, André Breton defined surrealism in part as “pure psychic automatism” and “the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation”. In essence, surrealism is other-worldly creations derived from mysticism depicting dream-like states with the liberation of artistic expressions. Enter George Hoyningen-Huene, a photographer who understood the art of elegant simplicity and the escapism of surreal portraits.

His elegant black-and-white works and his comprehension of studio lighting set him apart from the black and white photographers that came before him who, until then, photographed outdoor landscapes and nature. His work encapsulated French avant-garde with glamorous sensuality, understanding the human shape, silhouettes and plays on shadow and light. There is a reason why despite more than half a century after his death, his legacy of fashion and cinematic photography now is arguably more impactful than it was when he was alive.

Divers, Horst and Lee Miller, Paris, 1930

The George Hoyningen-Huene Estate Archives were established in 2020 by Tommy and Åsa Rönngren to preserve the photographer’s legacy, share his work with a wider audience, and inspire contemporary creatives. The “George Hoyningen-Huene: The Master of Élégance & Allure” exhibition is part of that legacy and aims to showcase the works of Hoyningen-Huene to a new generation of young creatives and art enthusiasts in Singapore.

The George Hoyningen-Huene: The Master of Élégance & Allure at ARTitude Galeria exhibition will run from 26 April to 24 May at No.9 Dempsey Road #01-11, Singapore 247697

11:00 AM – 19:00 AM Open DailyAdmission is free