Make-Over: Surgery Story, New York, 1997

David LaChapelle   Master Artists

David LaChapelle was born on March 11, 1963 in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. He is a photographer and director who works in the fields of fashion, advertising, and fine art photography, and is noted for his surreal, unique and often humorous style.

Known to be major player in the fashion photography world. LaChapelle attended the North Carolina School of the Arts and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His first photograph was of his single mother, Helga LaChapelle, on a family vacation in Puerto Rico. She wore a bikini and held a martini glass on a balcony. From then on he was obsessed with photography.

In recent years LaChapelle has expanded his work to include music videos, live theatrical events and documentary film-making. His directing credits include music videos for artists such as Christina Aguilera, Moby, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, The Vines and No Doubt. 

April 2024 marked a notable collaboration between LaChapelle and Mercedes-Maybach, resulting in a series of three distinctive works that merge luxury automotive design with his unique artistic vision. In the realm of fashion, September 2024 saw LaChapelle partnering with designer Christian Louboutin for a memorable Paris Fashion Week event. Held at the Piscine Molitor, the show featured Olympic swimmers and culminated with both LaChapelle and Louboutin diving into the pool, highlighting their shared flair for theatricality. Additionally, LaChapelle's photographic prowess was showcased in a cover shoot with pop artist Charli XCX for New York Magazine's "Fall Preview" issue. 

In February 2025, the Galleria Cavour 1959 in Bologna, Italy, is hosting "Beyond the Real: David LaChapelle in Bologna," an exhibition featuring over 30 of his works, including the exclusive piece "Tower of Babel" (2024). This showcase delves into themes such as spirituality, climate change, and the interplay between art, fashion, and society.

His first professional job as a photographer was offered by Andy Warhol for Interview magazine. LaChapelle has four published books of his photographs, including "LaChapelle Land" and "Hotel LaChapelle," both containing vivid and bizarre portraits of celebrities such as Marilyn Manson, Drew Barrymore and Uma Thurman.

LaChapelle's images, both bizarre and gorgeous, have forged a singular style that is unique, original and perfectly unmistakable. He has photographed personalities as diverse as Tupac Shakur, Madonna, Amanda Lepore, Eminem, Philip Johnson, Lance Armstrong, Pamela Anderson, Li'l Kim, Uma Thurman, Elizabeth Taylor, David Beckham, Paris Hilton, Jeff Koons, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hillary Clinton, Muhammad Ali, and Britney Spears, to name just a few. Once called the Fellini of photography, LaChapelle has worked for the most prestigious international publications and has been the subject of exhibitions in both commercial galleries and leading public institutions worldwide.

LaChapelle's work continues to be inspired by everything from art history to street culture, creating both a record and mirror of all facets of popular culture today. He is quite simply the only photographic artist currently working in the world today whose work has transcended the fashion and celebrity magazine context it was made for, and has been enshrined by the notoriously discerning and fickle contemporary art intelligentsia.