The
era of the 1960’s is synonymous with dramatic political and social
revolution and change. This decade saw the conservatism and
restrictions of the preceding post war 1950’s give way to a more
radical libertine generation committed to fostering utopian ideals of
free love, world peace and harmony. Fashion defined the freedom of
the era in the designs of Mary Quant, with the invention of the
bikini, with the rise of the hemline in the miniskirt and the reign
of the supermodel in Twiggy. It was the decade that saw the Beatles
and the Rolling Stones invade America, the peak of the civil rights
movement, the assassination of John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King and
Malcom X. Widespread protests against the Vietnam War erupted while
the end of the decade gave rise to hope as the world witnessed for
the first time, a man walking on the moon. This fertile environment
encompassed Europe in the 1960’s - an era that was captured through
the lens of Frank Habicht.
Born
in Hamburg in 1938, Habicht began his career as a photographer in
1960 attending the Hamburg School of Photography, from which he
graduated in 1962. He quickly became established as a freelance
photographer and writer in Europe submitting works to be published in
magazines including Camera Magazine, Spigelreflex Praxis, Twen,
Jasmin, Esquire, Hoer Zu, Die Welt, Sunday Times (UK) and The
Guardian. Habicht also gained employment working as a stills
photographer for film directors, Bryan Forbes, Roman Polanski and
Jules Dassin (1965-68), as in-house photographer for the Playboy Club
in London (1970) and as a freelance photographer for Top of the Pops
(1969). These encounters certainly provided Habicht direct access to
international pop idols and film stars who became subjects of his
most celebrated photographs and included Mick Jagger and the Rolling
Stones, actor/director duo Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, actors
Vanessa Redgrave, Marty Feldman and Christopher Lee, director Roman
Polanski and photographer Lord Lichfield.
Habicht’s
images capture the uninhibited spirit of the times offering a glimpse
into the heady period that still manages to arrest the imagination
some forty years later. His book "Young London, Permissive
Paradise", a social document on London's youth, was published in
the late sixties. Another photographic book, "In the Sixties"
(Tandem Press & Axis Publishing London 1997), juxtaposed those
who achieved international fame with the unnamed, not recorded in
history books. Frank says his main concern in photography is the
process of communication to attempt to keep a situation alive by
fusing observer and observed.
In
1981 Frank left a successful international career to reside in New
Zealand’s Bay of Islands, drawn to this unique country for its
beauty and tranquillity. He now spends much of his time devoted to
creating images that celebrate the landscape and community in and
around the Bay of Islands where he lives. His two books, Bay of
Islands Where the Sunday Grass is Greener an acclaimed satirical
pictorial on New Zealand’s Bay of Islands with Kiki and Helme Heine
and his recent Bay of Islands A Paradise Found with Bob Molloy
(Totara Press, Paihia 1995) capture the fun and friendship to be
found in this stunning part of New Zealand.
In
October 2004 Frank exhibited his 'Karma Sixties' collection at the
Colette Gallery in Paris. In July 2007 Random House publishes Frank &
son Florian Habicht’s photographic book 'I DO" - classic New
Zealand weddings. Florian Habicht’s new film project 'Permissive
Paradise' is inspired by Frank’s experiences as a photographer in
London during the sixties.
It
is anticipated that Frank’s fascinating images will certainly
captivate the wider public both young and old alike. Though they
depict the recent past, the images are timeless and contemporary,
retaining their relevance either for those generations who
experienced the sixties firsthand or for those who are a product of
them.
Franks
AKL exhibition in June 2007 'Hightide and Green Grass' attracted
nationwide critical acclaim and New Zealand’s current affairs TV
show ‘Sunday' paid homage to his work of this immortal decade.
A
party in the spirit of the 'The Sixties' was held in Moscow on April
18, 2008 at the exclusive Arterium Gallery to celebrate the opening
of Frank Habicht's exhibition. Paris Hilton was one of the celebrity
guests. Funds were collected by the charitable foundation 'Peace
Planet' in aid of orphaned children.
During
the past years Frank has compiled a portfolio of images juxtaposing
the diverse extremes of our society in Cities and Places without
their traditional landmarks. He observed the human contradictions,
absurdities, the mystical, the fragilities, reality and fantasy -
capturing togetherness, despair, rebellion, joy and sadness. Simply,
life's beauty and drama...looking for what hides behind the human
soul.
