Legendary photographer behind enduring portraits of era-defining icons

"Steve Jobs, Cupertino, California" (2006) / Courtesy of Albert Watson

Albert Watson's first and largest retrospective in Asia kicks off at Seoul Arts Center

By Park Han-sol

One early morning in 2006, Scottish photographer Albert Watson hurriedly headed to Cupertino, California, with a mission at hand: to photograph one of the most powerful visionaries in America, Steve Jobs.

He knew he had him for an hour, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. sharp. "I rehearsed all of my lighting beforehand. I was completely ready for him," he recalled.

Five minutes before the Apple CEO's arrival, Watson was delivered a warning: Jobs hates photographers. Now, how was he supposed to incorporate that piece of information into his opening spiel?

He decided to take a gamble: "When Steve walked in the door, I told him I only needed him for 30 minutes." Those words immediately brought a smile to the face of the businessman, whose time was money.

Simplicity was of the essence for this particular portrait. After setting up the shot against a white background, Watson suggested Jobs lean slightly forward and gave him a scenario: "Imagine that you're across the table from four or five people who don't agree with you, but you know you're right."

The CEO replied, "Easy for me. I do that every day."

Through the click of the shutter, the photographer immortalized Jobs' enigmatic smile into a singular black-and-white image that has since become indelibly stamped on our collective memory. The entrepreneur himself called it "maybe the best picture ever taken of me," later prompting the shot to be featured on Apple's memorial web page for him following his death in 2011.

Scottish-born New York-based photographer Albert Watson / Courtesy of "Watson, The Maestro" exhibition

For over five decades, Watson's camera lens has captured numerous faces of era-defining cultural icons in addition to Jobs: Andy Warhol, Michael Jackson, Kate Moss, Jack Nicholson, Mike Tyson, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, to name a few.

He has shot over 100 Vogue covers worldwide, as well as major advertising campaigns for fashion and cosmetic giants like Prada, Armani, Chanel and Revlon.

And that's not even half the list of his multifaceted feats that have made a mark in the entertainment industry, as he's also responsible for presenting the world with iconic movie posters by the likes of "Kill Bill," "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "The Da Vinci Code."

A curated collection of Watson's 125 seminal photographic works has arrived at the Seoul Arts Center this month for "Watson, The Maestro," his first retrospective in Korea. The show is also his largest one ever held in Asia.

"Andy Warhol, New York City" (1985), left, and "Mick Jagger, Los Angeles" (1992) / Courtesy of Albert Watson

Blind in one eye since birth ― which would go on to inspire the title of his 1994 photo book, "Cyclops," named after a race of one-eyed giants in Greek mythology ― Watson became "addicted to photography" right from the moment he held a small camera that was gifted by his wife for his 21st birthday.

"From the minute I had the camera, I knew and felt that there was some mystical connection. And the idea of seeing the world through the (single) lens made me obsessed and excited about photography," he said during the press preview of the exhibition, Dec. 8.

After being trained in graphic design and film in the United Kingdom, Watson and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1970, where he dove into the world of photography in earnest.

Being a latecomer to the game, he honed his craft while taking on various gigs, from cosmetic powerhouse Max Factor's test shoots to a medical supply company's catalog.

A major turning point came in 1973 when he got a call from one of the art directors at Harper's Bazaar asking him to "photograph someone famous" for the magazine's Christmas issue.

It was Alfred Hitchcock, one of the most celebrated figures in cinematic history as the "Master of Suspense."

The magazine initially wanted the shot of the movie director holding a platter with a roast goose on it, which would accompany his own recipe on the page. But the budding young photographer had a more daring idea to give the image a "Hitchcockian" twist.

The result was a merry mix of the eccentric and the suspenseful: the filmmaker holding a plucked goose with a Christmas ribbon wrapped around its neck.

"The shoot really, in a way, jump-started my career," he said.

"Alfred Hitchcock, Los Angeles" (1973) / Courtesy of Albert Watson

But while it may be the portraits of acclaimed personalities that catapulted Watson to stardom, the 80-year-old has refused to limit himself to the boundaries of fashion and commercial photography, instead choosing to leap across genres through a series of personal projects around the world.

"I was unable to become a celebrity photographer only, a fashion photographer only, a still-life photographer only, a landscape or people photographer only," he noted. "I was capturing everything in the world that I found interesting."

The exhibition's layout visualizes such a mingling of genres by presenting celebrity portraiture together with striking landscapes of Las Vegas, Morocco and Scotland's Isle of Skye, as well as sensual nudes reminiscent of classical paintings.

"Tree in Mist, Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye, Scotland" (2013) / Courtesy of Albert Watson

This placement also creates an unintentional yet fascinating dialogue between his disparate photographic projects ― between Egyptian King Tutankhamun's glove in Cairo and Alan Shepard's Apollo 14 lunar suit in NASA or between a chimpanzee named Casey holding a gun and inmates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

The prolific creator's ongoing and future projects are expected to be just as varied with keywords spanning from "children's toy guns" to "mirrors" and "a new way of seeing fashion."

"The bad ― and good ― news for photographers is that they never get to retire," Watson said, adding that he will continue doing what he has always done, that is to "inject into the photography memorability."

"Watson, The Maestro" runs through March 30, 2023, at Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center.

"Heel on Stovetop, Budget Suites, Las Vegas" (2000) / Courtesy of Albert Watson