William Klein (photographer)

William Klein
Klein at the Cinémathèque française in 2008
Born	(1928-04-19) April 19, 1928 (age 88) New York, New York, US
Nationality	American / French
Education	City College of New York, La Sorbonne, studied with Fernand Léger
Known for	Photography, cinema, painting
Awards	Prix Nadar (1957), Prix Jean Vigo (1967), Hasselblad Award (1990), Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (1999), Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award, Sony World Photography Awards (2012)

William Klein (born April 19, 1928) is an American-born French photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography. He was ranked 25th on Professional Photographer's list of 100 most influential photographers.

Klein trained as a painter, studying under Fernand Léger, and found early success with exhibitions of his work. He soon moved on to photography and achieved widespread fame as a fashion photographer for Vogue and for his photo essays on various cities. He has directed feature-length fiction films, numerous short and feature-length documentaries and has produced over 250 television commercials.

He has been awarded the Prix Nadar in 1957, the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS) in 1999, and the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award at the Sony World Photography Awards in 2012.

Klein was born in New York City into an impoverished Jewish family. He graduated from high school early and enrolled at the City College of New York at the age of 14 to study sociology. He joined the US Army and was stationed in Germany and later France, where he would permanently settle after being discharged.

In 1948, Klein enrolled at the Sorbonne, and later studied with Fernand Léger. At the time, Klein was interested in abstract painting and sculpture. In 1952, he had two successful solo exhibitions in Milan and began a collaboration with the architect Angelo Mangiarotti. Klein also experimented with kinetic art, and it was at an exhibition of his kinetic sculptures that he met Alexander Liberman, the art director for Vogue.