German billionaire Gunter Sachs made his name as a photographer, playboy and prolific art collector. A selection of photographs by the versatile personality has opened at the FotoLoft gallery at Moscow’s Winzavod.
The man who was once married to Brigitte Bardot, then the world’s most desired woman, created photo-masterpieces of unbeaten quality at a time when digital printing had not yet been imagined.
Sachs became a photo pioneer, exploring the possibilities of digital photography; he made the first nude cover for Vogue in the early 1970s, spearheading the trend of putting naked divas on the covers of glossy magazines.
Claudia Schiffer was one of the key models discovered by Sachs, but not the only one. In 1972, he opened an art gallery in Hamburg where he put on show the first European exhibition by none other than Andy Warhol.
Sachs’ photographs became synonymous with glitz and glamor, sex and art, fashion and luxury. He managed to capture the vibes of the Swinging 60s with his images radiating energy and charisma.
It has been a real privilege for art lovers to own a photograph by the great grandson of the OPEL brand founder, who rarely sold his works, which he published only in 5 copies.
Since 1976, Sachs’ work has been shown in museums and galleries all over Europe – in Salzburg, Dusseldorf, Bremen, Wien, Aachen, Wiesbaden, Stockholm, Berlin, Gasteug Munich Cultural centre, Zurich, Moscow, Saint Petersburg and others.
The “Gunter Sachs – Photographer” retrospective boasts more than 200 exhibits. The movie “Dolce Vita,” directed by Sachs himself, will be screened at his Moscow exhibition. His fans will also be able to see some rare footage about the lives of Sachs and Bardot.
The exhibition by the artist, who committed suicide earlier this year aged 78, will run until November 27.