Who is Terry Richardson?
TERRY Richardson has not worked professionally since 2018, after a string of sexual harassment claims saw companies turn their back on him.
Here, we look at who he has worked with, and what has been said about the photographer.
Who is Terry Richardson?
Richardson was first given a camera by his mum, actress Norma Kessler, in 1982.
In a long career the 52-year-old has shot advertising campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent, among others.
Richardson had his first big break as a photographer in New York when his photos appear in Vibe magazine in 1994.
It was shown at the Paris International Festival de la Mode later in the same year.
Following the showing, Richardson shot an advertising campaign for fashion designer Katharine Hamnett’s spring 1995 collection.
The campaign was featured images of young women wearing short skirts with their pubic hair showing.
He then moved to London where he worked for European magazines such as The Face, i-D and Arena.
Richardson has produced several campaigns for Diesel and has also produced several private portraits for the company’s founder, Renzo Rosso
In 2012 he had his first solo exhibition, Terrywood, at Los Angeles’s OHWOW Gallery.
He developed a reputation his highly sexualised photography style.
What are the allegations against him?
Accusations of inappropriate behaviour and exploiting young female models have been levelled at Richardson over the years.
There was even a petition launched to appeal to big brands to stop using his images.
Since 2010 more than a dozen women have stepped forward and made allegations against him.
The torrent of allegations towards Richardson surfaced amid the Harvey Weinstein sex abuse scandal.
As one studio insider told The Sun: “He makes Harvey Weinstein look like Bambi.”
Richardson has always denied wrongdoing and has never been convicted with a crime.
Models accused him of making them feel comfortable before dropping a lewd request such as asking them to pose nude before he, himself, unexpectedly stripped naked.
One model accused him of turning her into a non-consensual “sex puppet.”
In 2014, after another 6 women came forward and publicly accused him of improper behaviour, work dried up dramatically for the fashion photographer.
Big names such as American Vogue publicly said they were never working with him again.
Past employers like the New York Times, W Magazine and Target also distanced themselves from the photographer.
Now media giant Condé Nast International, publishers of magazines such as Vogue, GQ and Glamour, has dropped the photographer.
A leaked email apparently sent to editors around the world tells staff not to hire him in future, and any unpublished shoots should be “killed or substituted with other material”.
The email, which appears to have been sent by Conde Nast International’s executive vice president James Woolhouse, was revealed by The Telegraph.
The company owns various mags including GQ, Glamour, Vanity Fair, and Wired, and the boss is quoted as telling staff: “Condé Nast would like to no longer work with the photographer Terry Richardson.
“Any shoots that have been commission[ed] or any shoots that have been completed but not yet published, should be killed and substituted with other material.
“Please could you confirm that this policy will be actioned in your market effective immediately. Thank you for your support in this matter.”
The 52-year-old has always vehemently denied the allegations and says that he is “considerate and respectful”.
After he was dropped by multiple publications, a spokesman told The Telegraph in 2017: “He is an artist who has been known for his sexually explicit work so many of his professional interactions with subjects were sexual and explicit in nature but all of the subjects of his work participated consensually.”
The Sun approached Conde Nast and Terry Richardson for comment.
Which celebs has Terry Richardson worked with?
The controversial snapper has shot dozens of A list stars including:
- Kate Moss
- Miley Cyrus
- Lady Gaga
- Kylie Jenner
- Beyonce
- Jessica Alba
- January Jones
- Megan Fox
- Lindsay Lohan
- Rihanna
- Cindy Crawford
- Kim Kardashian