Gian Paolo Barbieri

Born into a family of fabric wholesalers in Milan, Barbieri acquired an education in textiles from an early age that would prove very useful to his profession as a fashion photographer. He studied economics at the Universita' Cattolica, but during his formative years there would be other things that captivated his attention, above all the theatre. His interest in drama and the arts would feed and bring out his vein for fantasy and creativity, and not long after, his discovery of the cinema would reveal itself to be a life long passion. Following this passion, he moved to Rome in 1961 for an apprenticeship at Cinecitta', managing in the meantime to make ends meet by developing and printing pictures taken of upcoming starlets and aspiring divas, but not for long as life would take him elsewhere. In 1962 he moved to Paris and became assistant to Tom Kublin photographing French fashion collections, and what is remembered as an "excruciating" two-month experience would ultimately launch him into the world of photography.

In 1965 he joined Italian Vogue and produced the cover of its first issue. His work for the Italian, French, American and German editions of Vogue subsequently led to publicity work with the great designers, Valentino, Armani, Saint-Laurent, Ferre', Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Vivienne Westwood. In 1978 the German magazine, Stern, ranked him among the fourteen top fashion photographers and it was during this period that his assignments for Conde' Nast publications led him to the remote island destinations where his passion for fashion evolved to include nature (and man's interaction with it).

Within work spanning nearly half a century, evidence of Barbieri's creative flair and innate ability to connect with his models or subjects can be clearly identified and his work has been made available in 14 personal publications ranging from commissioned books to self-funded gems such as Silent Portrait. Barbieri's photographs have been shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum and at the Kunstforum, Vienna. He spends his time between the Seychelles and Milan, where he continues to work for publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair whilst pursuing various new book projects.