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.

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

WORDS

WORDS

DATE:

SHARE

Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Email

SHARE

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
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.

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Not a Doomscroll. A Deep Dive.

Subscribe now for print that informs, inspires, and doesn’t get lost in the feed.

You’ve almost hit your limit.

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

Pop-Up-1_c
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
Pop-Up-1_c

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.

Pop-Up-1_c
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
Pop-Up-1_c

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

You’ve almost hit your limit.

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

Pop-Up-1_c

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Pop-Up-1_c

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

We have so much more to tell you.

You’ve reached your limit.

Sign up for a digital subscription, starting at less than $2 a week.

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.