C H a S I N G B E a U T Y R I C H a R D P H I B

C h a s i n g b e u t y r c d p

Richard Phibbs was born and raised in Richard Phibbs | Chasing Beauty Canada. He received degrees from Univer- sity of Toronto and Parsons in New York “It’s a constant search — chasing City. His commercial work has appeared in beauty, chasing hope. I’m not major publications worldwide. He has shot interested in the dark.” ad campaigns for such iconic brands as Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin That’s renowned photographer Klein. Phibbs has also shot many portraits Richard Phibbs, known for his celeb- of notable cultural figures including Meryl rity portraits and iconic ad campaigns Streep, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Hillary Clinton, for Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, and and Beyoncé. Aside from photography, RICHARD Calvin Klein, regarding his latest Phibbs has dedicated much of his time and project: Chasing Beauty, a beautiful resources to charity. He has traveled to and provocative book from his cele- Bucharest four times and set up a charity, brated archive or work from 1997-2010. Children of Nowhere, to help Romanian children suffering from AIDS. Richard lives Phibbs’ passion is photography. His in New York City. goal with his first book was to give hope and bring beauty into the world. Michael Cunningham was born in Cin- cinnati, Ohio and grew up in California. He It has been a deeply personal received his BA in English Literature from journey, a three-year labor of love. Stanford University and his MFA from the Phibbs believes photographs can University of Iowa. He is the author of the cause change and inspire and moti- novels, A Home at the End of the World vate. When his longtime friend Alfredo (Picador, 1990), The Hours (Picador, 1999), Paredes agreed to collaborate, Richard for which he received a Pulitzer Prize for knew the time for his book had come. Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and Specimen Days (Picador, 2005), among Paredes, Executive Vice President and others. The Hours was eventually adapted Chief Creative Officer for Retail, Polo into a film starring Julianne Moore, Nicole Ralph Lauren, responsible for bringing Kidman, and Meryl Streep. Cunningham Ralph Lauren’s cinematic vision to life lives in New York City and is presently in stores and showrooms worldwide, writing a new book and teaching at Yale PHIBBS made one caveat: Phibbs was to step University. back and relinquish control. His vision was to choose photographs and realize Alfredo Paredes is Executive Vice Presi- Phibbs’s unique aesthetic. The result is dent and Chief Creative Officer for Retail, a fascinating juxtaposition of Polo Ralph Lauren, bringing Mr. Lauren’s images that excite, tantalize, shock, cinematic vision to life in the Ralph Lauren and surprise — consistent with Phibbs’s stores around the globe and leading Ralph vision of beauty. An exquisite rose Lauren Home’s creative direction, design, plays against the rawness of a sweaty and advertising. Alfredo passionately rugby player; Phibbs’s dog Huck serves on the national board of trustees for triumphantly sails over a dune. Design Industry Foundation Fighting Aids This is pure Phibbs. (DIFFA) and sits on the Empire State Pride Agenda’s board of directors. “Some things can’t be expressed in words. That’s what’s so emotional and powerHouse Books is a leading revealing in a photograph,” Phibbs publisher of high-quality art, documentary says. “That’s one moment in time. photography, and pop culture monographs When I’m shooting and that special and illustrated books, including As I See It moment happens, when I lose my by Greg Gorman, Hairy by Robert Greene, breath a bit, I know. That’s the picture.” Lifeguard on Duty by Matt Albiani, and Room Service by Adam Raphael. Richard Phibbs is always searching CHASING for that connection.

He’s always chasing beauty.

U.S. $50.00 / $60.00 Can

U.S. $50.00 / $60.00 CAN ISBN 978-1-57687-561-2

PRINTED AND BOUND IN ITALY BEAUTY RICHARD PHIBBS CHASING BEAUTY Richard Phibbs | Chasing Beauty

photographs Richard Phibbs forewOrd Michael Cunningham ediTOR Alfredo Paredes

Brooklyn, New York “That useless thing we ForewOrd expect By Michael Cunningham

Any artist who earnestly and openly loves beauty Anyone who has lived more than two decades and Phibbs insists as well that beauty binds the world civilization is taking a risk. An artist who loves beauty is paying is alive in 2010 has survived unspeakable events. together, and that the human form is related, homage to the biggest subject there is. Beauty with Children are still being sent off to war. The earth is through its grace and power, to the realm of the a capital B is one formidable goddess, and around increasingly contaminated. And all of us, some to inanimate. A fighter shares a spread with a rose, her titanic, perfectly-formed feet lie the bodies of a greater extent than others, have suffered cata- a lovely, young girl with the straggly symmetry of many worshippers who have tried and failed to strophic losses to an epidemic that rages on and a teepee. Beauty resides in men and women with do her justice. on and on. Some of us have lost virtual battalions equal potency. It resides in horses and fencing of friends and family. It would be easy, given all we’ve masks and the cogs of machines. Take beauty too seriously and it turns to kitsch. seen, to insist on the earth as a dark and deadly Take it too lightly and it escapes you entirely. place, and on our lives here as an accumulation This is, one suspects, the way God may see to value of years spent whistling through the graveyards. the world—as a vastly interconnected series of In Chasing Beauty, Richard Phibbs steps fearlessly Many of our most gifted artists devote their careers marvels, different in their particulars but alike in up, proclaims himself to be an acolyte to the to charting our collective decline. their ravishing, unorthodox perfections. miraculous world, and succeeds. It would be no small accomplishment in any era. It’s especially Phibbs, however, comes to us with an assertion It would be a mistake to underestimate the signifi- heroic in 2010. that beauty, pure and simple, continues to flour- cance of Phibbs’ gesture. If we rely on some of our ish. Flowers appear every spring. Dogs still play on artists to keep us posted about the diminishment beaches, and they don’t care if the world is ending of our hopes, we rely on others to remind us that or not. The curve of a hip or the grace of a collar- our hopes can and do still thrive. That we still, bone are still just as fresh and alive as they were for even at this late date, have much to be grateful for. is beauty. ” Caravaggio and Michelangelo. Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents We should be grateful to Richard Phibbs.

MC TO

acknowledgements Photography by Richard Phibbs Edited and designed by Alfredo Paredes Art direction by Teddy Borsen Typography by Brandon KavullA

To my Aunt Barb for showing me how To draw my first tree. smell the air. To John Alvarado sara angelini ELENA ASCIU MARCY To my Mother for showing me my first picasso. / To my RINGEL BARRETT Mickey Boardman BUFFY BIRRITTELLA ben bonnet Father who got me to NYC. To my two beautiful sisters, Chris Scott Boucher VINCENT BOUCHER KRISTIN BOWMAN ANTONIO and Jeannie for showing me love. / NAM / To family friend Gloria BRANCO Adolfo Cambiaso MICHAEL CAPOTOSTO Mark Campbell Stobart who ALWAYS PINNED UP MY DRAWINGS. / MYHO / To my mark Chandler Effi Cohen michael Cunningham Bruno Danto assistant of 13 years, Gail Fisher. YOU LEFT US WAY TOO SOON. / RENGE / Mario Delgado Duane Dill sam doerfler Mike Dos To my dear friend Alfredo, the gentle giant, who encouraged Santos CHRIS DOUGHERTY BEN ESKRIDGE Luciano Freitas SERENA and inspired me to do this book. / To my dear friend Teddy, an FRENCH LAURENT GIRARD Brad Goldfarb Steven Greenberg angel here on earth, who worked so hard and with such STEPHAINE GRILL KIM HASTREITER SCOTT HAWLEY DAVID HERSHKOVITS determination and spirit to make this project come alive. / TO Leanne Hirsch jenna Jameson Richard Jonas jason kanner My AGENTS JORDAN SHIPPENBERG AND RICCARDO TORTATO WHO CHIKA KOBARI Hiromi Kobari / KYO / Ken Kobayashi MERYL KEATOR HAVE BECOME MY AMAZING PARTNERS AND DEAR FRIENDS. / To my Miriam Kove RALPH LAUREN claudia lebenthal MAIA MULLER alex niece Krista--your spirit is everywhere--you are an inspiration to manning John Mather MATTHEW MONEY PENNY MICHAEL MORELLI so many. You are missed. / To CHRIS H., SIMON, RYAN, KURT, MARK, JEFF NAIDITCH Georgia Nerheim Scott Newkirk donald nowicki Peter, Madeleine and Zak. / To all my dear friends and family who PATTI O’BRIEN Joanne Reeves kevin rice ed razek Stephen Rose have passed,your spirit runs deep through my work and is alive LIZ SCOTT Frank Selvaggi Lori Sendel Heather Shimokawa in this book. / To Rolf, Baker, Tom, José, Donald, Patrick, Hal, Bart, georges st. pierre Donald Sterzin sierra sullivan Dick Tarlow Bill, John, Casey, Sean, Gary, Hiromi, Ambrose, Axel, and Fletcher. Patti Teamkin katharina traxler MARIA VASQUEZ mary veal To my dear friend Huck who teaches me to take a breath and ashley ward MARKUS WILHELM foster witt / be kind to animals VISUAL INDEX

George St. Pierre, NYC 2008 Rose XXII, NYC 2008 Fencing II, NYC 2007 Luis, NYC 2000 Alex Walking, NYC 2000 Girl with Black Lingerie Bobby, NYC 2005 Ben, NYC 2005 Teepee at Doc’s Ranch Anastassia V Horses in the Snow I, II, III, Montana 1999 NYC 2001 Longview, Canada 1998 NYC 2009

Tulip, NYC 1998 Matts Nude, NYC 2009 Joseph Gladiator, NYC 2009 Alex Crouching, NYC 2000 Huck is so Happy, Water Island, NY 2007 Anastassia IV, NYC 2009 Chris with Gloves Adolfo’s Polo Boots Hand with Cigarette Adolfo Cambiaso Los Angeles 2000 Argentina 2008 Brooklyn, NY 1997 Argentina 2006

Fencing XI, NYC 2007 Ryan, NYC 2008 Anastassia II, NYC 2009 Ryan Plaid Shirt Chris Rock, Almeria, Spain 1999 Ben, Almeria, Spain 1999 Adolfo’s Two Horses, Anastassia I, NYC 2009 Travis Lying Down Diver, Water Island, NY 2000 Berkshires, NY 2002 NYC 2002 Argentina 2006 Water Island, NY 2005

Anastassia III, NYC 2009 White Horse Eye II Ambrose, NYC 2005 Kwame, NYC 2005 Jorge, NYC 2005 Nick, NYC 2005 Chris Standing Trese-San I, NYC 2009 Melissa, NYC 2009 Chris, NYC 2005 Geothermal Plant I, Iceland 2007 Iceland 2007 Los Angeles 2000 Jockstrap, NYC 2009 Luis I, NYC 2000 Porter Travis Sleeping Tulip IV, NYC 1998 Matts at Window, NYC 2009 Rose XXIII, NYC 2008 Michael with Basketball Couple, NYC 2003 Evan Locker Room Carmelita New Hampshire 2000 Water Island, NY 2005 NYC 2008 Montclair, NJ 2007 NYC 2008

Anissa Nude, NYC 2009 Alex, NYC 2000 Trese-San, Water Island, NY 2007 Bikers, Mexico 1999 Romero, NYC 1999 Wet Roses, Morocco 1995 Jenna Jameson, NYC 2003 Matts, NYC 2000 Sailor, NYC 1998 Rose XI, NYC 2008 Leo Roosevelt Island, NY 2005

Fringed Chaps Louis, NYC 2000 Shell I, Water Island, NY 2008 Sonja I, NYC 2009 Wrestlers Wheel, Brooklyn Navy Yard Oliver Sailor’s Back, NYC 1998 Anissa, NYC 2009 Chris Fighting Chris’s Foot Calgary, Canada 1998 Queens, NY 2009 Brooklyn, NY 1998 Hawaii 1999 Los Angeles 2000 Los Angeles 2000

Joseph’s Back, NYC 2009 Gladiator II, NYC 2009 Shell IV Travis Brooke, NYC 2000 Rick, Water Polo Cap Romero Brooklyn Navy Yard Athlete III, NYC 2005 Angel Fencing I, NYC 2005 Water Island, NY 2007 Water Island, NY 2007 Los Angeles 2008 NYC 1999 Brooklyn, NY 1998 Paris 1999 Joseph with Medicine Ball Joseph Portrait Polo Horse Feet Ambrose Profile Tulip III, NYC 1998 Brian Uri Foreman Chris with Medicine Ball Black Rock I, Iceland 1997 Boy on Horse, Iceland 1997 Trese-San II, NYC 2009 NYC 2009 NYC 2009 Argentina 2006 NYC 2008 Los Angeles 2008 Brooklyn, NY 2010 NYC 2010

Melissa I, NYC 2009 Chris with Ball, NYC 2009 Joseph Nightwatch, NYC 2009 Melissa II, NYC 2009 American Water Polo Team, Los Angeles 2008 Bahia Alex Brazil 2009 Water Island, NY 2000

Rafton, NYC 2008 Evan Tying Cleats Tattoo Back Nicole French Boy, NYC 2007 Montclair, NJ 2007 Roosevelt Island, NY 2005 NYC 2009

Polo Horse Tail Boy White Shirt Dave, NYC 1998 Spur, Calgary, Canada 1998 Sienna Sonja II, NYC 2009 Argentina 2006 Mississippi 2000 Harbour Island, Bahamas 1998 100% of the artist’s proceeds will be donated to animal rescue and children with HIV Chasing Beauty Richard Phibbs

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner in any media, or transmitted by any means whatsoever, electronic or mechanical (including photocopy, film or video recording, Internet posting, or any other information storage and retrieval system), without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in the United States by powerHouse Books, a division of powerHouse Cultural Entertainment, Inc. 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201-1021 telephone: 212.604.9074, fax: 212.366.5247 email: [email protected] website: www.powerhousebooks.com

First edition, 2010

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010929215

Hardcover ISBN 978-1-57687-561-2

Printing and binding by EBS, Verona Book design and editing by Alfredo Paredes

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Printed and bound in Italy C h a s i n g b e u t y r c d p

He’s always chasing beauty.

U.S. $50.00 / $60.00 Can

U.S. $50.00 / $60.00 CAN ISBN 978-1-57687-561-2

PRINTED AND BOUND IN ITALY BEAUTY