Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
German, b. 1954
Ellen von Unwerth is a director and photographer whose bold and erotic images of women have left an indelible mark on the visual landscape of the fashion world.
Born in Frankfurt, Germany, von Unwerth was a model in Paris for nearly a decade before turning to photography. Her 1989 images of Claudia Schiffer for a Guess jeans campaign, echoing the playfully feminine style of 1950s pinups, earned both Schiffer and von Unwerth wide attention. Over the years, her work has been featured regularly in magazines like Interview, Vanity Fair, Vogue, I-D and The Face, appearing on covers and in both editorial and commercial contexts. In 1991, she won first prize at the International Festival of Fashion Photography.
Von Unwerth’s 1995 photoshoot of Drew Barrymore for Playboy magazine is among her most popular work and, coupled with an array of album covers for such artists as Janet Jackson and Britney Spears, gave her standing as a celebrity photographer beyond the borders of the fashion world. Von Unwerth’s pictures have a distinctive look and feel, with saturated colors and dense compositions, while also, in certain cases, paying homage to great photographers of the 20th century.
The 2015 Tree of Love, Bavaria, in which a nude model reclines inside the heart-shaped hollow of an enormous decaying trunk, recalls Edward Weston’s sensuous use of the body’s geometry in his compositions. And the dramatically lit Tic Tac Toe from 2010, showing a scantily clad woman posing on a city street at night, evokes Helmut Newton’s atmospheric photograph of a model wearing Yves St. Laurent’s Le Smoking jacket, shot for French Vogue in 1975.
Von Unwerth has published several books of her photographs, including Revenge, in 2003, and Fräulein, in 2009. Those volumes have been joined by one showcasing the photos of her series “Heimat,” in which she playfully combines visual tropes of traditional Bavarian life with her signature eroticism and wit. She is represented by several dealers, including the Staley-Wise Gallery, in New York, and Galerie Trabant, in Kitzbühel, Austria.
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Artist: Ellen von Unwerth
Sisterhood, New Orleans
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Sisterhood, New Orleans, 1998
Unique Polaroid
Image 7.5 x 9.5 cm (3 x 3 3/4 in.)
Sheet 8.6 x 10.7 cm (3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in.)
Frame 29 x 24.5 x 4 cm (11...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Rollicking, Adriana Lima for New York Times Magazine
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Rollicking, Adriana Lima for New York Times Magazine, 1999
Unique Polaroid
Image 7.5 x 9.5 cm (3 x 3 3/4 in.)
Sheet 8.6 x 10.7 cm (3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Kate Moss, Paris
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Kate Moss, Paris, 1995
Unique Polaroid
Image 7.5 x 9.5 cm (3 x 3 3/4 in.)
Sheet 8.6 x 10.7 cm (3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in.)
Frame 29 x 24.5 x 4 cm (11 3/8 x ...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Ecological, Kate Moss, Paris
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Ecological, Kate Moss, Paris, 1995
Unique Polaroid
10.8 x 8.5 cm (4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen von Unwerth is wide...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Hold on ! , Adriana Lima for New York Times Magazine
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Hold on ! , Adriana Lima for New York Times Magazine, 1999
Silver gelatin print, vintage print
30 x 40 cm (11 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.)
Biography:
Born in...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Bar flies, Kate Moss, Miami
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Bar flies, Kate Moss, Miami, 1993
Unique Polaroid
Image 7.5 x 9.5 cm (3 x 3 3/4 in.)
Sheet 8.6 x 10.7 cm (3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in.)
Frame 29 x 24.5 x 4 cm...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Strike the pose, Brandi Quinones, Kate Moss, Shalom Harlow
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Strike the pose, Brandi Quinones, Kate Moss, Shalom Harlow, Miami, 1993
Unique Polaroid
Image 7.5 x 9.5 cm (3 x 3 3/4 in.)
Sheet 8.6 x 10.7 cm (3 3...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Ellen’s angel II, Miami
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Ellen’s angel II, Miami, 1993
Unique Polaroid
Image 7.5 x 9.5 cm (3 x 3 3/4 in.)
Sheet 8.6 x 10.7 cm (3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in.)
Frame 29 x 24.5 x 4 cm (11...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Galliano, Paris
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Galliano, Paris, 1993
Silver gelatin print, later print
60 x 50 cm (23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen v...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Ellen’s Angel I, Miami
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Ellen’s angel I, Miami, 1993
Unique Polaroid
Label signed by the artist
Image 7.5 x 9.5 cm (3 x 3 3/4 in.)
Sheet 8.6 x 10.7 cm (3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in.)
...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Beach Blues, Kate Moss, 1995
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Beach Blues, Kate Moss, 1995
Unique Polaroid
10.8 x 8.5 cm (4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen von Unwerth is widely reg...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
"Ecstasy", Kate Moss
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
"Ecstasy", Kate Moss, 1995
Silver gelatin print, later print
50 x 40 cm (19 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, El...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Dance, Dance, Dance, Claudia Schiffer for Guess, Viareggio, Italy
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Dance, Dance, Dance, Claudia Schiffer for Guess, Viareggio, Italy
Silver gelatin print on Baryta paper, later print
150 x 220 cm (59 x 86 5/8 in.)
...
Category
1980s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Volume on, New York
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Volume on, New York, 2001
Unique Polaroid
10.8 x 8.5 cm (4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
Signed
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen von Unwerth is widely...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Cinema Verité
, Kate Moss Vogue US
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
'Cinema Verité', Kate Moss Vogue US, 1995
Silver gelatin print, vintage print
30 x 40 cm (11 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954,...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Tango, Nadja Auermann, Marocco
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Tango, Nadja Auermann, Marocco, 1994
Silver gelatin print, vintage print
40 x 30 cm (15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Elle...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Bathing Beauties II
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Bathing Beauties II, 1992
Chromogenic print on Fujiflex paper, later print
50 x 60 cm (19 3/4 x 23 5/8 in.)
Edition o...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
C Print
Briquet, Naomi Campbell
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Briquet, Naomi Campbell,, 1990
Hand proofed by the artist
Silver gelatin print, vintage print
40 x 30 cm (15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
signed
Biography:
B...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Hard to Tame, Dioni Tabbers, London, 2012
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Hard to Tame, Dioni Tabbers, London, 2012
Chromogenic print on Fujiflex paper, later print
120 x 180 cm (47 1/4 x 70 7/8 in.)
Edition of 3; (2/3)
...
Category
2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
C Print
Tatjana, Paris
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Tatjana, Paris, 1992/1994
Silver gelatin print
180 x 120 cm (70 7/8 x 47 1/4 in.)
vintage print
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen von Unwe...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Freaks, Adriana Lima for Vogue Italia
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Freaks, Adriana Lima for Vogue Italia
Unique Polaroid
8.5 x 10.8 cm (3 3/8 x 4 1/4 in.)
Signed
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen von Unwer...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
"Take the bow", Deon Bray for Vogue US
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
"Take the bow", Deon Bray for Vogue US, 1991
Silver gelatin print, later print
60 x 50 cm (23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Biography:
Born in G...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Warm Bath, Claudia Schiffer, LEI
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Warm Bath, Claudia Schiffer, LEI, 1989
Silver gelatin print, vintage print
42 x 29.7 cm (16 1/2 x 11 3/4 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, ...
Category
1980s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Belle de Nuit, Shalom Harlow for Vogue France
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Belle de Nuit, Shalom Harlow for Vogue France, 1993
Silver gelatin print, vintage print
50 x 40 cm (19 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.)
Biography:
Born in German...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Steamy, New Orleans
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Steamy, New Orleans, 1998
Unique Polaroid
10.8 x 8.5 cm (4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen von Unwerth is widely regard...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Casting, Kate Moss
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Casting, Kate Moss, 1995
Unique Polaroid
10.8 x 8.5 cm (4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, Ellen von Unwerth is widely regard...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
"Devil in the Eye", Nadja Auermann for Vogue UK
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
"Devil in the Eye", Nadja Auermann for Vogue UK , 1991
Silver gelatin print, later print
60 x 50 cm (23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Biography:...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Chapeau Claque, Nadja Auermann, Marocco
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Chapeau Claque, Nadja Auermann, Marocco, 1994
Silver gelatin print, vintage print
40 x 30 cm (15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Girl in the cage, Alma Jodorowski for L
Officiel, Paris
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Girl in the cage, Alma Jodorowski for L'Officiel, Paris, 2011
Silver gelatin print, later print
75 x 50 cm (29 1/2 x 19 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Bio...
Category
2010s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
"Cinderella", Shalom Harlow
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
"Cinderella", Shalom Harlow, 1993
Silver gelatin print, later print
60 x 50 cm (23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
"Souk", Nadja Auermann
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
"Souk", Nadja Auermann, 1992
Silver gelatin print, later print
60 x 50 cm (23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954, ...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Flight Delayed, Meghan Douglas, Vogue Italia, October
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Flight Delayed, Meghan Douglas, Vogue Italia, October , 1994
Unique Polaroid
10.8 x 8.5 cm (4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
Biography:
Born in Germany in 1954,...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Polaroid
Upside down, Drew Barrymore for Vogue US, Coney Island
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Zurich, CH
Ellen VON UNWERTH (*1954, Germany)
Upside down, Drew Barrymore for Vogue US, Coney Island, 1994
Silver gelatin print, later print
60 x 50 cm (23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Edition of 15
Biog...
Category
1990s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Penelope Cruz, Paris
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is an edition of 15. All editions are signed by the photographer. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Category
Early 2000s Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Sophia Loren, New York
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is an edition of 15. All editions are signed by the photographer. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Category
1990s Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Mask: Nadja Auermann, VOGUE UK, Paris
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is an edition of 7. All editions are signed by the photographer. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Category
1990s Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Kate Moss Shopping - Supermodel in front of a fridge, Fine Art Photography, 1995
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Vienna, AT
All prints are limited edition. Available in multiple sizes. High-end framing on request. All prints are done and signed by the artist. The collector receives an additional certifica...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Gaga Incognito
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in New York, NY
All editions signed by the photographer.
Category
Early 2000s Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Price Upon Request
Gaga
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in New York, NY
All editions signed by the photographer.
Category
Early 2000s Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Price Upon Request
Kate Moss - the supermodel kneeling in front of a fridge holding a cucumber
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Vienna, AT
High-end framing available on request. Ellen von Unwerth is one of the most famous and influential photographers in the world. Her artistic achievements have been honored with truly ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Meow, Jessica Chastain - Color Portait with Lace Mask, Fine Art Photography
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Vienna, AT
Portrait of the redhead actress and Oscar nominee wearing a lace hairband with cat ears in front of a turquoise/blue background. Ellen von Unwerth is one of t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Kate Moss Smoking - b&w Nude Portrait of Supermodel, Fine Art Photography, 1996
By Ellen von Unwerth
Located in Vienna, AT
All prints are limited edition. Available in multiple sizes. High-end framing on request. All prints are done and signed by the artist. The collector receives an additional certifica...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ellen von Unwerth Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Ellen Von Unwerth portrait photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Ellen von Unwerth portrait photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of portrait photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of red, orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ellen von Unwerth in archival pigment print, pigment print, silver gelatin print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Ellen von Unwerth portrait photography, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Tina Trumpp, Jan C. Schlegel, and Roxanne Lowit. Ellen von Unwerth portrait photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $7,500 and tops out at $16,000, while the average work can sell for $9,829.