Erik Madigan Heck, born 1983 in Minnesota, is an American fashion photographer, publisher of the photography magazine Nomenus Quarterly which appears four times a year and a correspondent for A magazine. In 2012, he produced 'Art of Fashion' campaign of the department store chain Neiman Marcus, he photographed for designer Mary Katrantzou and shot the film 'The End' for Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester. In 2013, he was one of the youngest designers ever to receive the ICP Infinity Award, followed in 2015 by awards from ADC and the AI-IP American Photography Award for his 'Old Masters Portfolio', which was published in New York Times magazine. In his relatively young career, the photographer has developed his very own vision of fashion with an unmistakable way with colors ans shapes.
"I’ve always looked to painting as a guide for how one can use color and represent the figure – from the work of Édouard Vuillard and the Nabis, Edgar Degas and the Impressionists, to contemporary painters like Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas and Gerhard Richter. Art is a continuum you are meant to build from, and you shouldn’t hide from your influences. As long as you’re transforming what resonates into something new, that’s art-making," says Erik Madigan Heck
In 2017, Thames & Hudson and Abrams Books published Erik Madigan Hecks first monograph with the title 'Old Future'. On display at the Nicholas Metivier Gallery thru 5 May are works by the photographer in the same-titled exhibition, and on 28 April, you can meet up with the artist for a Artists Talk at the gallery in Toronto. The exhibition is then on display at Christophe Guye's in Zurich by the way.
"American photographer Erik Madigan Heck has become one of the most successful and prolific fashion photographers working today. Acclaimed for his ability to capture the essence of painting through the lens of a camera, Heck elevates fashion portraiture into high art. Originally from Excelsior, Minnesota and now based in Connecticut and New York City, Heck has collaborated with major fashion designers including Gucci, Junya Watanabe, Comme des Garçons and Giambattista Valli, to create his elegantly beautiful photographs.
Looking to painting for inspiration, Heck’s photographs are influenced by the works of Impressionist painters such as, Édouard Vuillard and Edgar Degas and 16th century Flemish portraiture. Heck explores the relationship between fashion and painting by immersing himself into every aspect of his photographs. He designs the sets, objects and materials that transform his final images. Using a combination of natural light and in-camera effects with post production, he builds highly saturated hues to create a softness that blurs the boundaries between photography and painting. It is this mastery of light, color, form and texture that makes his work simultaneously timeless and futuristic," says the Nicholas Metivier Gallery.