Martin Schoeller Books

Building on the success of his previous titles, "Close Up" and "Identical," Martin Schoeller's momentous "Portraits" is cause for celebration. The illustrious photographer's full range of expression is on display in this unprecedented gathering of editorial images. With an impressive amount of variety and scale, Schoeller shares his signature compositional imagination alongside the wry wit that animates his work. Whether portraits of political leaders, Hollywood stars, business entrepreneurs, or contemporary music royalty, these images are as daring as they are exacting, playful and precise. Regardless of the subject and setting, Schoeller's photographs seemingly come to life. While "Portraits" will surely thrill devoted fans, it will also attract new admirers with images they've noted in top magazines. Every frame in this expansive volume is touched with Schoeller's distinctive flare for creative meticulously realized worlds--and confirm that he's a talent that consistently resets the limits of photographic portraiture.

"Survivors. Faces of Life after the Holocaust" features powerful portraits of 75 Holocaust survivors in Israel, captured by Martin Schoeller. Created for the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation, these images reveal the resilience and struggles of those who endured the Holocaust, telling both individual and collective stories of survival.

Martin Schoeller is a master in both staged photographs as well as raw portraits establishing a new paradigm in photography. As typified in the best-selling Close Up (ISBN 978-3-8327-9045-5), Schoeller captures well-known personalities stripped of artifice and PR spin. The resultant headshots are pure and resonant. Yet, this photographic artist is also a master storyteller who juggles elements of fairytales and blockbuster movies. His action-packed vignettes are worlds unto themselves…dark little universes where anything can—and does—happen.

Close presents 120 portraits of the world’s most famous and influential people across the arts and entertainment industries, politics, business and sport—from Julia Roberts and Adele, to Frank Gehry and Marina Abramović, Barack Obama, Julian Assange and Roger Federer. Between 2005 and 2018 Schoeller photographed his subjects, in his words “to create a level platform, where a viewer’s existing notions of celebrity, values, and honesty are challenged.” Schoeller realized this goal by subjecting his sitters to equal technical treatment: each portrait is a close-up of a face with the same camera angle and lighting. The expressions are consistently neutral, serious yet relaxed, in an attempt to tease out his subjects’ differences and capture moments “that felt intimate, unposed.” Schoeller’s inspiration for Close was the water tower series of Bernd and Hilla Becher, his ambition to adapt their systematic approach to portraiture. Amidst Schoeller’s famous subjects are also some unknown and unfamiliar ones, a means to comprehensively make his project an “informal anthropological study of the faces of our time.”

The book explores the evolution of drag into mainstream culture, emphasizing the depth beyond the visual spectacle. It highlights how effective portraits of drag queens capture their inner worlds, emotions, and motivations, rather than merely focusing on appearance. Martin Schoeller’s work transforms drag into a dynamic form of portraiture, revealing diverse identities and allowing individuals to express and share their stories, even if just for a fleeting moment. The narrative underscores drag as a vibrant performance that unveils hidden aspects of self.

This book presents a paradigm shift in addressing poverty in Africa, advocating for European investment rather than aid. It outlines a roadmap for mobilizing capital for infrastructure, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating a strong economic area. The vision emphasizes the importance of collaboration in light of current global challenges.