German photographer Juergen Teller rose to fame in the 1990s for his matter-of-fact editorial style. His candid images of models, celebrities, strangers and friends radiate with the complications of life: humor, death, ugliness, unremitting beauty. Now it all comes neatly packaged in a new volume of his shoots by Rizzoli: "Donkey Man and Other Stories: Editorial Works Volume 1." We caught up with one of the greats.

DATE

SHARE

Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Email

 

Self-portrait by Juergen Teller for Cultured Magazine.
Self-portrait by Juergen Teller for Cultured Magazine.

 

In your mind, how has editorial changed over the last 30 years? How has it remained the same?

Juergen Teller: Certain good magazines I work for give me more space and pages and I have more freedom to publish fairy tales.

What do you want to see more of in the future of publishing?

JT: That magazines still exist in the future. I am very fond of them.

Is it important for photography to seek honesty?

JT: Photography can be anything.

What does it mean, "honesty"?

JT: I’m honest to myself in terms of taking pictures, building narratives and what I want to express.

Does the act of photography feel like a performance?

JT: Yes, it can. You are like a director and gently direct people in front of the camera (or behind) to whatever you want to achieve. It’s a performance in terms of how you behave and make subjects laugh or be serious.

Describe your favorite shoot of the past six months.

JT: It’s a project my fiancée Dovile and I are working on that is related to our wedding, where the wedding guests will be given a personal gift. More I can’t say yet, but it’s excellent, exciting fun, physically demanding and something I’m proud of.

What's the last image on your camera roll?

JT: Outside a bar in Venice, watching Italy beat England in the football final of Euro 2020.

Craving more culture? Sign up to receive the Cultured newsletter, a biweekly guide to what’s new and what’s next in art, architecture, design and more.

You’ve reached your limit.

Sign up for a digital subscription, starting at less than $3 a week.

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

You’ve almost hit your limit.

You’re approaching your limit of complimentary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $3 a week.

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

GET ACCESS

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want more in your life?

For less than the price of a cocktail, you can help independent journalism thrive.

Conner Storrie standing on a street
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
Conner Storrie standing on a street

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want more in your life?

For less than the price of a cocktail, you can help independent journalism thrive.

Conner Storrie standing on a street
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
Conner Storrie standing on a street

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

You’ve almost hit your limit.

You’re approaching your limit of complimentary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $3 a week.

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want more in your life?

For less than the price of a cocktail, you can help independent journalism thrive.

Conner Storrie standing on a street

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Conner Storrie standing on a street

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want a seat at the table? To continue reading this article, sign up today.

Support independent criticism for $10/month (or just $110/year).

Already a subscriber? Log in.