George Holz

"Painting with light" is what George Holz calls it, though nearly all of his interviewers describe the Grammy Award-winning photographer as a man of few words. Ever since his debut in Milan's fashion magazines, many others have tried to characterize Holz's work, which seems finally to tempt one to put words away and simply look. By the turn of the century, the artist described in 1981 as "a new up-and-comer with a unique independent style" by Photo Italiana had become one of the most respected, prolific and versatile players in the industry. No longer just "one to watch," Holz had created nearly two decades of work known as "striking," "sensuous," "nuanced," and "unexpected."

Holz's celebrity portraiture for magazines has cast a wide net, capturing personalities from Jack Nicholson to Paris Hilton, and Donald Trump to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Some, like Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, have already loomed large in the public eye when meeting the eye of Holz's camera. Others, such as Brad Pitt and Madonna, he has photographed in the infancy of stardom. His 1983 cover of Madonna's Borderline album was a debut for both pop star and photographer; Holz has since worked with an impressive array of recording artists, including Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Shaina Twain and Britney Spears. Nor has his presence been absent from the motion picture industry, where he has shot posters for blockbusters including Face Off and Along Came a Spider. What has remained constant throughout the renaissance scope of Holz's work is an ability to capture personality within his signature style.

Duality figures importantly into Holz's work as well as his life. It is not suprising to learn  that he travels frequently between his Greenwich Village studio and mountain home in upstate New York, where he lives with his wife and son. Contrasting elements are playfully and beautifully visible in Holz's fine art and advertising photography. Here, the viewer experiences the interplay of the human form with landscape and object. In his compelling, often ethereal photography of female nudes, Holz celebrates the body and compares it to bone and metal, natural and man-made worlds. His willingness to push limits is one he credits to an influential early apprenticeship with the late Helmut Newton, who encouraged him to remain true to his personal vision. The clarity of this vision has caught the attention of diverse advertising agencies, netting him campaigns including a Clio Award-winning series for the International Gold Corporation, and work for DeBeers Diamonds, Wrigleys, Nike, and Max Factor. Series such as Holz's "Original Sin" campaign for Tres Generaciones Tequila Sauza display his talent for marrying fine art sensibility with commercial savvy.

His work can be found in the Staley-Wise Gallery in New York City and the Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, and in many other prominent galleries and museums across the country.

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