Bruce Weber's 'My Education' Photobook Marks His Artistic Comeback After #MeToo Allegations
American photographer Bruce Weber (born 1946) has released 'My Education', a photobook featuring 500 images, published by Taschen. This volume, which Weber himself edited, is divided into five thematic sections and includes various literary excerpts. It coincides with the upcoming retrospective 'Bruce Weber: My Education', set to be curated by Helena Musilová at the Stone Bell House of Prague City Gallery in autumn 2024, showcasing 300 photographs, including a notable session with Heath Ledger from 2000. Weber's extensive career spans work for prominent brands and magazines, with his 1982 Calvin Klein campaign significantly influencing homoerotic themes in advertising. In 2021, he confidentially settled lawsuits following sexual harassment claims from the #MeToo movement and is now concentrating on the art scene.
Key facts
- Taschen published 'My Education', a photobook with 500 photographs by Bruce Weber, edited by the artist himself.
- The book is the extended catalogue for the retrospective 'Bruce Weber: My Education' at Prague City Gallery's Stone Bell House in autumn 2024, curated by Helena Musilová.
- The exhibition featured 300 photographs, including a 2000 Prague session with Heath Ledger and portraits of Eva Herzigová and Martina Navratilova.
- Weber's 1982 Calvin Klein Underwear campaign with Tom Hintnaus on Santorini was displayed on a 150-square-meter Times Square billboard and generated over $20 million in underwear sales that year.
- In December 2017, former model Jason Boyce sued Weber in New York Supreme Court for sexual assault during a Manhattan session when Boyce was 18.
- In January 2018, The New York Times published accounts from thirteen male models accusing Weber and Mario Testino of aggressive sexual behavior.
- Condé Nast, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Michael Kors, and Abercrombie & Fitch cut ties with Weber after the allegations.
- In July and September 2021, Weber reached confidential settlements with Boyce and other models, without admitting guilt; no amounts were disclosed.
Entities
Artists
- Bruce Weber
- Charles Bukowski
- Rupert Brooke
- John Steinbeck
- Heath Ledger
- Eva Herzigová
- Martina Navratilova
- Paolo Di Paolo
- Lisette Model
- Diane Arbus
- Larry Fink
- Tom Hintnaus
- Jason Boyce
- Mario Testino
- John Cassavetes
- Ingmar Bergman
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- Lee Strasberg
- Konstantin Stanislavski
- Rodrigo Sorogoyen
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Karl Lagerfeld
- Gianni Versace
- Helena Musilová
- Charles S. Peirce
Institutions
- Taschen
- Prague City Gallery
- Fahey/Klein Gallery
- 032c
- Icon
- Paris Photo
- Art Basel
- Art Miami
- Denison University
- New York University
- New School for Social Research
- Calvin Klein
- Ralph Lauren
- Versace
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Vogue
- GQ
- W Magazine
- Vanity Fair
- Interview
- The New York Times
- Condé Nast
- Gucci
- Burberry
- Michael Kors
- Chanel
- Stuart Weitzman
- Carolina Herrera
- Estée Lauder
- Louis Vuitton
- Actors Studio
- New York Supreme Court
Locations
- Greensburg
- Pennsylvania
- United States
- Prague
- Czech Republic
- Los Angeles
- California
- New York City
- New York
- Manhattan
- Santorini
- Greece
- Times Square
Sources
- El Hype —