A Tribute to Steve Hiett
Quoted from the book “Femme Cachée 1978-2002”
Text by Philippe Garner
“Hiett’s particular skill as a fashion photographer has always been his ability to construct enigmas – he prefers a riddle to an explanation. He has an intuitive ability to create complex and intriguing graphic structures; and these are subtly underplayed, so you are drawn into his visual world unaware of the devices that lure and hold your eye. Hiett often thinks in musical analogies and sees his girls, his femmes cachées, as the equivalent of melodies caught in the air, drifting across a field, rather then as a direct blast of music heard from the front of the auditorium stage.”
French Vogue
Magazine: The Face
As an Art Director in New York at Saks Fifth Avenue in the early 90’s we hired Steve to shoot a number of fashion campaigns for the luxury department store. One of the most interesting aspects about working with Steve was his quiet approach in capturing images and his ability to create strong graphic compositions. As a person he was very gentle and unassuming. When I moved to Paris in 1999, where he resided, I got together with him on a few occasions and enjoyed exchanging ideas.
Steve unfortunately passed away recently at the age of 79. He will never be forgotten and his work will continue to inspire us. Having the opportunity to collaborate with him on several occasions has enriched my creative “hard drive.”
Adverts we created together at Saks
Polaroids from my Saks journal.
Me in my black Converse in Brooklyn
Quoted from an article on banbantonton.com
“Hiett was also a musician and his published recordings however were confined to a sole LP. Available only in Japan, it has become a coveted, collectable, cult item. After several years of label negotiations, Be With Records and Efficient Space, are now making the LP, titled Down On The Road By The Beach, plus a second album of Hiett`s archive material, Girls In The Grass, available globally for the first time.”