{"id":80261,"date":"2025-02-14T16:44:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T15:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=80261"},"modified":"2025-06-29T18:32:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T17:32:40","slug":"anton-corbijn-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/anton-corbijn-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Anton Corbijn exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/corbijnsmall.jpg\" alt=\"Exhibition poster\" class=\"wp-image-80338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/corbijnsmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/corbijnsmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Another name that spans both art and pop culture. The <em>Favourite Darkness<\/em> exhibition at the Kunstforum Wien pays homage to the photographer and director Anton Corbijn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Focus on his renowned photo portraits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8230;of musicians, artists &amp; other creatives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many evocative works<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One of my all-time favourite exhibitions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs Feb 15 &#8211; Jun 29, 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/kunstforum-wien\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"21890\">Kunstforum Wien overview<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#photography\">Other photo exhibitions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Favourite Darkness<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"298\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn2.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Miles Davis\" class=\"wp-image-80233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn2.jpg 298w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn2-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 298px) 100vw, 298px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Miles Davis, Montreal 1985 \u00a9 Anton Corbijn)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many with a palette of creativity few can hope to possess, Anton Corbijn has turned his hand successfully to various fields of endeavour: film and music videos, album covers, stage design, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/culture\/2022\/jan\/26\/anton-corbjin-portraits-interview-david-bowie-naomi-campbell-virgil-abloh\">2022 interview<\/a>, Corbijn described himself thus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I&#8217;m a portrait photographer<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Corbijn&#8217;s photos certainly dominate our public perception of him. Understandably so, given his camera produced some of the most resonant images of modern culture. Like the cover photos on U2&#8217;s <em>The Joshua Tree<\/em> album. Or the 1980 image of David Bowie in a loincloth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Favourite Darkness<\/em> exhibition at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien offers due respect to Corbijn&#8217;s wider work but focuses on his largely black &amp; white portraits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Around 200 works from five decades provide a timely homage given the photographer turns 70 in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"403\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Jodie Foster\" class=\"wp-image-80232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn1.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn1-298x300.jpg 298w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Jodie Foster, Hollywood 1995 \u00a9 Anton Corbijn)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The opening gallery, for example, features photos selected by Corbijn as important to him personally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The choices allow us some insight into the photographer himself. For example, the self-portrait that faces you as you enter suggests modesty and depth. (Listening to Corbijn answer questions at the press preview confirmed that interpretation.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elsewhere we have photos of musicians, models, artists, actors, models, and cemetery statuary. Not to mention a whole room dedicated to Corbijn&#8217;s work with Depeche Mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can appreciate each photo in its own right, but also view them as a collective whole revealing how Corbijn photographs in terms of composition, light &amp; shadow, and similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That composition often reflects religious iconography and an awareness of art history. For example, a 1995 photo of Courtney Love carries echoes of Botticelli&#8217;s <em>The Birth of Venus<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"397\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn3.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Dave Gahan\" class=\"wp-image-80334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn3.jpg 397w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn3-298x300.jpg 298w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/antoncorbijn3-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Anton Corbijn, Dave Gahan, Frankfurt 1993 \u00a9 Anton Corbijn)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The early musician photos feel like time travel for someone of my generation (50+). But that&#8217;s not why I loved the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Corbijn&#8217;s portraits often possess a certain something beyond my ability to describe (but I&#8217;ll try anyway).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We think we know a subject from their media presence or creative output, but Corbijn seems to subvert those expectations and give a three-dimensionality to the character of those he portrays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps we see a private side or private moment, discover the musician or artist in an unexpected setting, or view them from an unusual angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strong contrasts and the captured expressions add emotional richness and, often, a sense of melancholy that seems to almost permeate the galleries. Perhaps a hint at transience&#8230;against which fame and success offer no protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I felt quite moved, for example, by the 1990 photo of Marianne Faithfull, who died only a few days before the exhibition began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creatives can, at least, leave something lasting behind: a legacy in music, paint, words&#8230;or, in Corbijn&#8217;s case, astonishing photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>View the portriats and more from February 15th to June 29th, 2025. An entrance ticket for the Kunstforum is essentially a ticket for the main exhibition inside, as the institution has no permanent display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vienna features various other photo exhibitions, such as the National Library&#8217;s look at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/century-in-pictures\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"80957\">A Century in Pictures<\/a> (ends November 2nd, 2025). And the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/foto-arsenal-wien\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"64035\">Foto Arsenal Wien<\/a> opened in 2025 as a hub fully dedicated to photography: it offers a series of top-class exhibitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve viewing Corbijn&#8217;s work in the couple of weeks leading up to Easter, the Kunstforum actually lies between two nearby seasonal markets: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/eastermarkets\/freyung-ostermarkt\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2933\">Altwiener Ostermarkt<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/eastermarkets\/am-hof-ostermarkt\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2937\">Ostermarkt am Hof<\/a>. So you can combine international monochrome culture with seasonal Austria fare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the exhibition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Kunstforum lives on the central <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/freyung-2\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"29646\">Freyung square<\/a> near Schottentor station with its U2 subway line (seems a rather appropriate form of transport for a Corbijn exhibition) and numerous trams. For detailed travel tips, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/kunstforum-wien\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"21890\">main Kunstforum Wien article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Freyung 8, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1qE67z-6ZUivs0H9TxrZDHWDR9ObImqBL\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A name spanning art and pop culture. The Kunstforum Wien pays homage to the photographer and director Anton Corbijn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-80261","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-museums","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80261"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84475,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80261\/revisions\/84475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}