{{short description|British photographer (born 1958)}} {{EngvarB|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox artist | name = Nick Knight | honorific_suffix = CBE | image = Nick Knight (cropped).jpg | imagesize = | alt = | caption = Knight in 2015 | birth_name = Nicholas David Gordon Knight | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|11|24|df=yes}} | birth_place = London, England | death_date = | death_place = | field = Fashion photography, film | training = Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design | movement = | works = | patrons = | influenced by = | influenced = | awards = | elected = | website = {{url|www.showstudio.com}}<br>{{url|www.nickknight.com}} }} '''Nicholas David Gordon Knight''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (born 24 November 1958) is a British fashion photographer and founder and director of SHOWstudio.com. He is an honorary professor at University of the Arts London and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. by the same university.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nickknight.com/about|title=About|website=Nick Knight}}</ref> He has produced books of his work including retrospectives ''Nicknight'' (1994) and ''Nick Knight'' (2009). In 2016, Knight's 1992 campaign photograph for fashion brand Jil Sander was sold by Phillips auction house at the record-breaking price of HKD 2,360,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.phillips.com/detail/nick-knight/HK010116/48|title=Nick Knight - Tatjana Patitz for Jil Sander, 1992, 1992 | 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale Hong Kong Saturday, November 26, 2016 Lot 48|website=Phillips}}</ref>
==Life and career== Knight was born in Hammersmith, London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/nick-knight-biography|title=Nick Knight|first=Jo|last=Craven|date=21 April 2008 }}</ref> He studied photography at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design and published his first book of photographs, ''Skinhead'', in 1982 when he was still a student at the school. He was then commissioned by ''i-D'' editor Terry Jones to create a series of portraits for the magazine's fifth-anniversary issue. His work caught the attention of art director Marc Ascoli, who commissioned Knight to shoot the 1986 catalog of Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto in collaboration with Peter Saville.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/nick-knight|title=Nick Knight is part of the BoF 500|website=The Business of Fashion|date=18 November 2022 }}</ref>
In 1992 Knight took a year-long break from fashion photography to work on an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London with the British architect David Chipperfield. The exhibition was called ''Plant Power'' and was on the theme of the relationship between humans and plants.<ref>"[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/style/tmagazine/15tquest.html Vision Quest]". Alice Rawsthorn, ''The New York Times,'' 15 April 2007. Accessed 15 May 2017</ref> The exhibition lasted for fifteen years.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/library/archives/catalogue/dserve.exe?dsqServer=placid&dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%27DF%20EXH%2F700%2F2%2F30%27) | title=NHM Museum Archives }}</ref>
In November 2000, Knight launched SHOWstudio.com.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://showstudio.com/about|title=About SHOWstudio | The Home of Fashion Film & Live Fashion|website=showstudio.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/brit-insurance-design-awards-shortlist-from-alexander-mcqueen-to-zaha-hadid-1871852.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/brit-insurance-design-awards-shortlist-from-alexander-mcqueen-to-zaha-hadid-1871852.html |archive-date=20 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Brit Insurance Design Awards shortlist: From Alexander McQueen to Zaha|website=Independent.co.uk|date=18 January 2010}}</ref>
He directed his first music video in 2001, for the song "Pagan Poetry" by Björk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://showstudio.com/projects/pagan_poetry|title=Pagan Poetry | SHOWstudio|website=showstudio.com}}</ref> In 2003, he created a film for Massive Attack's album ''100th Window.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://showstudio.com/projects/special_cases|title=Special Cases | SHOWstudio|website=showstudio.com}}</ref> In 2011 and 2013, he directed the videos for Lady Gaga's single "Born This Way"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1658858/lady-gaga-born-this-way-video/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131151845/http://www.mtv.com/news/1658858/lady-gaga-born-this-way-video/|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 January 2015|title=Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Video Premieres|first=James|last=Montgomery|website=MTV News}}</ref> and Kanye West's "Bound 2"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/kanye-west-previews-new-video-bound-2-featuring-kim-kardashian-topless-8951227.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/kanye-west-previews-new-video-bound-2-featuring-kim-kardashian-topless-8951227.html |archive-date=20 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Kanye West debuts Nick Knight-directed Bound 2 video featuring Kim|website=Independent.co.uk|date=20 November 2013}}</ref> and "Black Skinhead." In 2016, he photographed American rapper/singer Travis Scott for his sophomore album ''Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.''
In 2016, he was commissioned to shoot official portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles for the Queen's 90th birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/nick-knight-portrait-queen-elizabeth-prince-charles-10730233/|title=Nick Knight Shoots Portrait of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles|first=Natalie|last=Theodosi|date=18 December 2016}}</ref>
Also in 2016, Knight's hand-coated pigment photographic work, ''Tatjana Patitz for Jil Sander, 1992'' sold for an artist-record $304,204 at Phillips Hong Kong.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schuster |first1=Angela M.H. |title=Photography Proves Itself as a Medium for Investment |url=https://robbreport.com/shelter/auctions/photography-proves-itself-medium-investment-eg17-2763328/ |website=www.robbreport.com |date=29 November 2017 |publisher=Robb Report Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation |access-date=19 December 2020 |ref=Last November, Phillips Hong Kong achieved an artist record at auction for British fashion photographer Nick Knight when his Tatjana Patitz for Jil Sander (1992) sold for HK$2,360,000 ($304,204) on its estimate of HK$420,000 to HK$620,000 ($53,800 to $79,500)—more than doubling the previous auction record for Knight’s work, which was set at Phillips in London in May 2016.}}</ref> The work, originally photographed in 1992 and reprinted in 2016, featured supermodel Tatjana Patitz in a Jil Sander advertising campaign photographed by Knight. The celebrated photograph from Knight's commercial career in the fashion industry represents the collectability of his painterly works to buyers in the world of fine art.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fury |first1=Alexander |title=Nick Knight, the visionary architect of digital fashion shows |url=https://www.ft.com/content/edce0cce-1921-45bb-862 |website=www.ft.com |publisher=THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD |access-date=19 December 2020 |ref=Some of his painterly images are being collected as fine art: in November 2016, his 1992 image of the model Tatjana Patitz, photographed for a Jil Sander campaign, sold at Phillips for HK$2.36m (£230,000), a record for a Knight piece.}}</ref>
In 2019, he collaborated with Kanye West, directing his short film ''Jesus Is King.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://showstudio.com/news/nick-knight-on-directing-jesus-is-king-a-kanye-west-film|title=Nick Knight on Directing 'Jesus is King: A Kanye West Film' | SHOWstudio|website=showstudio.com}}</ref> Filmed in the summer of 2019, the film brings West's Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, artist James Turrell's installation in the Painted Desert. The film accompanied the release of ''Jesus Is King'', West's ninth studio album, and was released in IMAX theaters on 25 October 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haring |first1=Bruce |title=Kanye West Will Unveil New IMAX Film, 'Jesus Is King', Celebrating His Sunday Service |url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/kanye-west-imax-jesus-is-king-sunday-service-1202747654 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929160246/https://deadline.com/2019/09/kanye-west-imax-jesus-is-king-sunday-service-1202747654/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 September 2019 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=September 29, 2019 |language=en |date=September 29, 2019}}</ref>
In 2021, he reunited with Gaga for a collaboration with Champagne brand Dom Perignon on the campaign "The Queendom", in order to realize a series of photos as well as an advertisement, which was released on 6 April.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lady Gaga revisits Born This Way vibes in new Chromatica video for 'Free Woman'|url=https://ca.movies.yahoo.com/lady-gaga-revisits-born-way-164436293.html|access-date=April 6, 2021|publisher=Yahoo! Movies|date=April 6, 2021}}</ref>
Following the announcement of Lady Gaga’s 2022 Summer Stadium World Tour, The Chromatica Ball, Knight was commissioned to shoot a series of interludes several weeks before it started, matching the twisted dark fantasy visuals Gaga had in mind for her shows.
Already Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Knight was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to fashion and photography.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=64082|supp=y|page=B9|date=17 June 2023}}</ref>
==Selected exhibitions== {{BLP sources section|date=January 2020}} A few of Nick Knight's exhibitions are listed below:<ref>Christophe Guye Galerie, [https://christopheguye.com/artists/nick-knight/biography Nick Knight (Biography)]</ref>
'''2016''' *''Nick Knight'', Christophe Guye Galerie, Zürich, Switzerland<ref>Christophe Guye Galerie, [https://christopheguye.com/exhibitions/nick-knight/introduction Link to the exhibition]</ref> * ''Nick Knight: Image'', Daelim Museum, Seoul, South Korea * ''History of Photography: The Body'', Victoria and Albert Museum, London * ''#techstyle'', Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America * ''Vogue 100'', National Portrait Gallery, London '''2015''' *''Vogue Like a Painting'', Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain *''Killer Heels'', Victoria and Albert Museum, London *''Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty'', Victoria and Albert Museum, London '''2014''' * ''Killer Heels'', Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn New York, United States '''2012''' * ''Icons of Tomorrow – Contemporary Fashion Photography'', Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland <ref>Christophe Guye Galerie, [https://christopheguye.com/exhibitions/icons-of-tomorrow-contemporary-fashion-photography/introduction Link to the exhibition]</ref> '''2011''' * ''Vanity'', Kunsthalle Vienna, Austria '''2009''' * ''Fashion Revolution'', Somerset House, London '''2006''' * ''Archeology of Elegance'', Deichtorhallen Museum, Hamburg, Germany * ''Talking to Myself, Yohji Yamamoto'', La Masion Européenne de la Photographie, Paris '''2001''' * ''Century City'', Tate Modern, London '''2000''' * ''CUT'', (Exhibition By The Hairdresser Barnabee) Musee De La Mode, Paris * ''La Beaute'', Exhibition For EN2000, Avignon, France * ''Facing The Future'', Touring Exhibition to Celebrate 20 Years of The Face Magazine * ''Das Fernglas'', German Hygiene Museum, Dresden, Germany * ''Nadja'', Exhibition Celebrating Nadja Auermann, Germany * ''Imperfect Beauty'', Victoria and Albert Museum, London * ''Nurture and Desire'', Hayward Gallery, London '''1998''' * ''Look at me – Fashion Photography 1965 to Present'', British Council Traveling Exhibition * ''Powerhause:uk'', Department of Trade and Industry * ''The Oriental Curiosity – 21st Century Chinoiserie'', Traveling exhibition, (London, Paris, Hong Kong) * ''Shoreditch Biennale'', London * ''The first 25'' (retrospective exhibition of images from Visionaire magazine), Colette, Paris * ''Addressing the Century: 100 Years of Art and Fashion'', Hayward Gallery, London * ''No Sex Please we’re British'', Dazed & Confused, and Shiseido Co Ltd, Japan * ''Yves Saint Laurent – 40 Years of Creation'', New York, and Tokyo * ''Silver & Syrup'', Victoria and Albert Museum, London '''1997''' * ''Contemporary Fashion Photography'', Victoria and Albert Museum, London * ''JAM'', Barbican Gallery, London * ''Little Boxes'', (to accompany the launch of Michael Mack's book, „Surface - Contemporary. Photographic Practice“); Traveling exhibition curated by Michael Mack '''1996''' * ''Art/Fashion'' (with Alexander McQueen), Biennale di Firenze, Italy '''1994''' * ''A Positive View'', Saatchi Gallery, London '''1993''' * ''Vanities Exhibition'', Paris * ''Plant Power'', (permanent exhibit), Natural History Museum, London '''1992''' * Festival De La Photo De Mode Exhibition, Monaco '''1991''' * Festival De La Photo De Mode Exhibition, Barcelona, Spain '''1989''' * Out of Fashion, The Photographers' Gallery, London * ''Ils Annoncent La Colour'', Rencontres d'Arles, Holly '''1986''' * ''20 For Today'', National Portrait Gallery, London * ''14-21 Youth Culture Exhibition'', Victoria and Albert Museum, London '''1982''' * ''Group Exhibition 1982'', The Photographers' Gallery, London
==Publications== *''Skinhead.'' London; New York: Omnibus, 1982. {{ISBN|9780711900523}}. *''Nicknight.'' Munich: Schirmer/Mosel, 1994. {{ISBN|9783888146619}}. Produced and directed by Marc Ascoli, Nick Knight, and Peter Saville. Written by Satoko Nakahara. *''Flora.'' Text by Sandra Knapp, art direction by Peter Saville, design by Paul Barnes. Initiated in 1993 for his installation of ''Plant Power'' at the Natural History Museum, London. **Munich: Schirmer/Mosel, 1997. {{ISBN|9780948835193}}. Hardback. **'Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2003. {{ISBN|9780810929883}}. Paperback. *''Nick Knight.'' With an introduction by Charlotte Cotton. **New York: Collins Design, 2009. {{ISBN|9780061714573}}. **Harper Design, 2015. {{ISBN|9780061714573}}. *''Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!''. New York: Rizzoli, 2013. {{ISBN|9780847841721}}.
==Awards== * 2015 - Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at British Fashion Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/nick-knight-isabella-blow-award-british-fashion-awards|title=Nick Knight Honoured|first=Scarlett|last=Conlon|date=10 November 2015}}</ref>
== See also == * Big 4 (sculpture)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=1193353|name=Nick Knight}} *{{Official website|www.nickknight.com}} *[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/fashion/17iht-rnick.html Nick Knight: Techno King], ''The New York Times''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Nick}} Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:British music video directors Category:British documentary photographers Category:British fashion photographers Category:People from Hammersmith Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Alumni of Arts University Bournemouth Category:20th-century British photographers Category:21st-century British photographers Category:Photographers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham