Markus Klinko

The Challenge

2001

Markus Klinko is an award-winning fashion and pop culture photographer and film director who is renowned all over the world. The Swiss-born artist has worked with a wealth of legendary celebrities in music, film and fashion, and has created poignant and striking images that capture the essence of popular culture of the 2000s. 

Klinko was initially interested in music. He was a classically trained harpist and studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Klinko was a featured solo performer with orchestras around the world, signed an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics and was awarded the Grand Prix de Disque for his recording of French harp music with members of the orchestra of the Paris Opera Bastille. 

In 1994, Klinko suffered a hand injury and chose to retire from recording and performing. Instead, he decided to take up fashion photography. He’d made friends in the industry over the years and his talent earned him assignments with the likes of the London Sunday Times and Interview magazine and other French and British fashion magazines. Klinko eventually met revered British rock star David Bowie because he was shooting Bowie’s wife — supermodel, entrepreneur and actress Iman.

In 2001, the photographer shot the cover of the book I Am Iman — Iman's book, which features contributions by David Bailey, Helmut Newton and others — and Bowie commissioned Klinko to photograph him for the cover of the singer’s 2002 album Heathen. Klinko and Bowie worked together again for the cover of GQ, and a 2001-era collection of never-before-seen images of the musician that Klinko shot called “Bowie Unseen” has garnered international critical acclaim.

Collaborating with digital post-production artist and photo editor Indrani, Klinko has created some of the most iconic album covers of the 21st century and has worked with American superstars Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Over the years, the photographer has worked for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Hugo Boss, L’Oréal Paris and many more. A campaign he shot for children with AIDS raised over one million dollars in merely three days. The book Icons: The Celebrity Exposures of Markus and Indrani was published in 2012.

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