From Madrid  exhibit.  Oct. 4, 2023.   Deborah. Turbeville.  1970’s. “The Power of the Female Gaze.”

AIR MAIL  MAGAZINE:    Traditional well-lit and upbeat portraits were slowly edged out in favor of darker, more psychological images. Three photographers in particular were responsible for the switch: Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and Deborah Turbeville. Shooting frequently in black and white, and dabbling with eroticism and avant-garde aesthetics, Turbeville’s images revolutionized what fashion photography could be. The turning point was her 1975 series for Vogue, “Bathhouse.” It depicted five women in swimsuits and bathrobes, languidly posed in a women’s shower room. Critics and readers alike decried its suggestions of sexual activity, but the series, fearlessly creative, launched Turbeville into the spotlight. “Fashion takes itself more seriously than I do,” she once said. “I’m not really a fashion photographer.” —Paulina Prosnitz

This is part of our female photographer series on Blogfinger. Deborah Turbeville. (1932-2013.)     Her work revolutionized fashion photography in the 1970’s, and she worked for all the most famous fashion publications  such as Vogue.

She used simple cameras and created new ways of seeing, shooting mostly in black and white.

The new exhibit is opening now in Madrid. Her work has been exhibited all over the art world.

Deborah Turbeville.   1970’s fashion revolutionary.  Bathhouse series 1970’s.

Deborah Turbeville.

Deborah Turbeville.

THOMAS MATOS.  “Isn’t She Lovely”