Collier Schorr

One of the most acclaimed women in photography, Collier Schorr (b. 1963) is an American fashion photographer who has captured a collection of portraits of adolescent youth that blur the boundaries between gender and identity. In 1985 at the School of Visual Arts, she graduated with a degree in Journalism. Following graduation, Schorr worked as an assistant to artists Peter Halley and Richard Prince, and at the 303 Gallery in New York.

In the late 1990s she travelled to Germany, a country which fascinated her. While there she created some of her most well-known series, including Forest and Fields and Blumen. These works were created in southern Germany, documenting a fictional portrait of a small town. Forest and Fields tells the stories of a place and time determined by memory, war, emigration, and family. Blumen became the second volume in the publication of the Forest and Fields series. Unlike the first volume, which includes figures, Blumen focuses on arrangements in the landscapes and domestic settings of the town.

Collier’s work has regularly featured in Dazed Magazine and she has produced campaigns for designers such as Dior, Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent. Her first major commission was in 1995, when Olivier Zahm commissioned Collier for a fashion editorial on Helmut Lang as part of a fashion publication. As well as commercial work, Collier has exhibited works at many international art galleries, such as the MOMA.

By Daniella Gott