In the 1980s and ’90s, photographer Herb Ritts’ black and white portraits of movie stars and models like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell created a look that was emblematic of the era, and now they are the subject of a major exhibit at Los Angeles’ Getty Center.

“Herb Ritts: L.A. Style,” which launched on Tuesday and runs through August 26, features renowned work by the artist including vintage prints, magazine covers, commercials and music videos. Around 20 percent of the photographs are on display for the first time. Ritts died in 2002, age 50.

“These were either never seen before or published once in an editorial spread in a magazine, then just sat in the archive,” curator Paul Martineau told Reuters. “I was looking to balance the iconic pictures that everyone knows and loves with the pictures that no one knows.”

Photographs that “everyone knows and loves” include a seminal portrait of Richard Gere in a San Bernardino gas station in 1977, wearing a t-shirt and smoking a cigarette. The shot was taken while the movie star and Ritts waited for the station attendant to change a flat tire.

Gere’s “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” hit theaters a few months later with the actor in a memorable supporting role that launched his career. Within months, the young photographer found his photos in the pages of Vogue, Esquire and Mademoiselle, with the last publication offering him his first assignment photographing Brooke Shields. Read the full article »»»»