"Peter's tour to Moscow" - "Images of Women in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts" by Igor Grebelnikov, Kommersant Weekly, 22 February 2002

PETER'S TOUR TO MOSCOW - IMAGES OF WOMEN IN PUSHKIN MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts holds an exhibition of the German photographer Peter Lindbergh. Famous photos of the series Images of Women succed the triumphant path in biggest galleries and museums of the world to stay in Moscow until March 10. It was Peter Lindbergh himself who opened the exhibition. Smiling, stumpy, self-confident. They like to call him the poet of glamour, althought he prefers the name Giorgio Armani gave him - trucker poet. Peter Lindbergh was welcomed in Moscow as a real triumpher. A solemn diner in the White Hall of Moscow's main museum gathered the elite of Russian policy and business, famous movie end theater actors and editors of glossy magazines. Everybody, for whom fashion is not only the season change of collections, but also art. A more chamber party took place in Caf Bosco that stunned the guest with the view of the Kremlin and the Red Square. Moscow did impress the photographer: Peter Lindbergh says he was here 20 years ago, and that Moscow has changed beyond recognition. The 200 photos of the series Images of Women exhibited in the Pushkin Museum explain a lot in Lindbergh's rapid career. Many stars are presented here - Hillary Swank, Sharon Stone, Catherine Deneuve, Uma Thurman, Tina Turner. These are the icons of today's media-world. However, the strange thing is that one does not understand whose photo it is whithout looking at the sign. And are these portraits at all? Peter Lindbergh's focus does not always catch the face and often ignores it, sliding down the body to stop at a heroin's feet, wrists, elbows, fingers. Shots do not look complimentary - there are close ups showing age and make-up. Images of Women - is a series more about how men look at women rather than about women themselves. This is a very important human insight, especially compared to today's flesh-photography directed not to the spectator, but to the potential buyer. In actual fact the photographer is impartial: he does not attempt to either multiply or destroy a star image. Peter Lindbergh masterfully puts celebrities into the world, more spacious than the world of gloss. Where not only on the floodlight projectors but also the sun shines: where they walk not only on the podium, but also on a country road; wear whatsoever they feel comfortable, do not grin by request. The photographer's black and white world has more intimacy that the glamour gloss. Peter Lindbergh's photos remind of Federico Fellinni's and Michelangelo Antonioni's pictures, in wich one does not notice film cutting and seems to watch life. Lindbergh's women recognize themselves in their heroines, this is why they trust the photographer and agree to do close ups and nudes. These are museum photos in the full sense. Igor Grebelnikov

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