Photographer and filmmaker
David LaChapelle (American, born March 11, 1963) is famous for his work in fashion, advertising, and Fine Arts. Born in Connecticut, LaChapelle attended the North Carolina School of the Arts and the School of Visual Arts in New York, landing a photography job at
Andy Warhol’s
Interview magazine while still in high school. He has gone on to photograph celebrities for numerous popular magazines, such as
Rolling Stone,
Vogue, and
Vanity Fair; his roster of famous subjects include
Madonna, Lance Armstrong, Elizabeth Taylor,
Leonardo DiCaprio, Hillary Clinton, and Muhammad Ali, as well as fellow Fine artist
Jeff Koons (American, b.1955).
In the 1990s, LaChapelle expanded his production to include videos, and has filmed many successful music videos, advertisements, and television show trailers. Deeply influenced by Surrealism, LaChapelle’s work walks the line between fashion and Fine Arts, as he often melds canonical images from art history with contemporary figures and settings. LaChapelle currently works in studios in New York and Paris.