David Hamilton – scandalous photographer

David Hamilton was a British and French photographer, film director, screenwriter and producer, who became famous for pictures of naked girls.
David Hamilton was born on April 15, 1933 in London, where he spent his childhood. When the Second World War began he stopped his studies at school. His family moved to Dorset, which was the source of his inspiration for life. After the war, Hamilton’s family returned to London, and after school, David moved to France.
At first Hamilton worked as an architect. At the age of 20 he went to Paris, where he worked as a graphic designer in ELLE magazine. Then he moved to London and got the job of an artistic director of Queen magazine. Some time later he returned to Paris and became Printemps art director. David started doing commercial photography, and his unique style quickly earned him success.

His photos were published in Realites, Twen and Photo. By the end of the sixties Hamilton’s photos became recognizable. He released dozens of albums with millions of copies, five films and had a huge number of exhibitions.
In 1975, Alain Robbe-Grillet named the protagonist of his novel Topologie d’une cité fantôme (The topology of a ghost town) in honor of Hamilton as a sign of his admiration.

Film director Mathieu Seiler also said about significant influence of Hamilton’s movies and photos on his creativity.
In December 1977, simultaneously with the release of his film Bilitis, Images Gallery in New York hosted an exhibition of his photographs.
In 2003, his style soft focus returned to the notable fashion magazines: Vogue, ELLE and others.
Hamilton was a director of such films as Hildegard Knef und ihre Lieder (1975), Bilitis (1977), Laura, les ombres de l’été (1979), Tendres cousins (1980), Un été à Saint-Tropez (1983) and Premiers désirs (1984)
He is a screenwriter of Laura, les ombres de l’été (1979) and Un été à Saint-Tropez (1983).
On November 25, 2016 David Hamilton committed suicide in his own apartment in Paris.

Photo albums
Dreams of a Young Girl (1971)
Sisters (1972)
La Danse (1972)
Souvenirs (1974)
The Best of David Hamilton (1976)
David Hamilton’s Private Collection (1976)
Hamilton’s Movie Bilitis (1977)
The Young Girl (1978)
Tender Cousins (1981)
Un été à Saint-Tropez (1985)
Vingt-Cinq Ans D’un Artiste (1992)
Twenty Five Years of an Artist (1993)
The Age of Innocence (1995)
A Place In The Sun (1996)
Holiday Snapshots (1999)
David Hamilton (November 2006)
Erotic Tales (French and German only so far) (December 2006)

David Hamilton – scandalous photographer