Comte

Michel Comte (1954). Swiss photographer, born in Zurich. He began to travel at the young age of 15, living in England, the U.S., and France. Without going through the classic apprenticeship as an assistant, he immediately became a professional photographer and in 1979 began to work for Condé Nast on Vogue Hommes and Vogue America, and also for Mademoiselles and Marie Claire. He rapidly made a name for himself as one of the best and most consistent photographers, thanks to a style only apparently simple and immediate, reminding one of photo-reportage. In 1981 he moved to New York and then to Los Angeles, publishing in Vogue America and Vanity Fair, and working for Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Nike, Swatch, and Revlon. He specialized in portraits, creating a style in which the subject is always portrayed frontally, in a direct and clear manner. Starting in 1980, he also devoted himself to reportage, working for the Red Cross in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Bosnia. In 1999, Schirmer/Mosel published his monograph Michel Comte – Twenty Years 1979-1999.