Frank Horvat: Hong Kong (Fashion Eye Series)

In 1962, the German magazine Revue asked Frank Horvat to team up with the writer Dieter Lattmann to create a number of features on major cities around the world. Late that year, the duo arrived in Hong Kong, then under British rule. Horvat was fascinated to discover a dense city laid out vertically, packed with people, dwellings, objects and symbols, where empty space was unimaginable. It perfectly suited his style, because he liked to compose his images in black and white, filling the frame with his subject. As a large part of the commissioned work was not included in the published article, most of the images appearing in this book have never been seen before. Born in Italy in 1928, Frank Horvat grew up in Switzerland. In 1951, he went to Paris, where he met Henri Cartier‑Bresson, whose influence would be decisive. Horvat settled in Paris and gained recognition for his photographs taken with a telephoto lens capturing nightlife scenes in the French capital. His sharp journalist’s eye would serve him well for his fashion images: favouring shots taken in the streets, he brought a freshness and vitality to the genre, playing a key role in its revival. From the 1970s, he turned his attention to more personal work, with each project giving rise to a book or exhibition. He died in Paris on 21 October 2020.

Unlike other books in the Fashion Eye series which are printed in colour on glossy paper Hong Kong is printed in inky black and white on newsprint paper.

Title: Hong Kong (Fashion Eye)
Publisher: Louis Vuitton Fashion Eye, 2024
Editor: Sylvie Lécallier                                                                       
Photographer: Frank Horvat
Format: Hardcover, Silkscreen-printed cloth binding
Size: 23.6 x 30.5 cm, 80 pages
ISBN: 9782369834014