Anton Corbijn (born May 20, 1955 in Strijen, the Netherlands) is a photographer who is also well known for directing music videos, including Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" (1989) and Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" (1993).

Corbijn began taking photographs during a live concert in 1972. In 1979 he moved to London, England where he began to work with various rock bands such as Joy Division and Public Image Ltd. During this period Corbijn also began to take photographs for well known magazines such as Vogue and Rolling Stone Magazine.

After mastering photography Corbijn also decided to move into directing music videos.

In 1994, after directing various music videos, Corbijn directed a short film about Captain Beefheart for the BBC called "Some Yoyo Stuff".

Corbijn is due to direct the feature film The Ian Curtis Film, about the life of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, in 2006. The film is based on Deborah Curtis's book Touching From A Distance about her late husband.

Corbijn tends to eschew traditional glamour photography, instead favoring a rawer look, often in black-and-white. His subjects appear to be calm and far removed from everyday life. His photographs show raw emotion. His patented and influential style of black and white imagery with stark contrasts on grainy film (sometimes referred to as "overcooked") has been imitated and copied in such extent that it has become a rock cliché and a vital part of the visual language in the 1990s.

He is widely acknowledged by the music industry, much thanks for being the creative director of the visual output of prominent bands like U2 and Depeche Mode, both for whom he have handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for more than a decade. However, he has failed to establish himself in fine arts or fashion photography. The established auction houses rarely deal with his work, and the secondary market for his work is yet limited. As for all popular artists with strong visual identity with wide appeal, his work has been object to imitation as well as derison as commercial and aimed for the bedroom walls of troubled teenagers.

In 2005, Palm Pictures released a DVD collection of Corbijn's music video output as part of the Director's Label series. As well as a 56-page booklet, the DVD also includes outtakes, shorts and documentaries as well as commentaries on various videos from the artists themselves.

Entertainers Corbijn has photographed

• Adam Ant
• Aimee Mann
• Annie Lennox
• Anthony Kiedis
• Bauhaus
• Beck
• Bee Gees
• Billy Idol
• Björk
• Bob Dylan
• Bono
• Boy George
• Brian Eno
• Brainstorm
• Bruce Cockburn
• Bruce Springsteen
• Bryan Ferry
• Cabaret Voltaire (band)
• Cameron Diaz
• Captain Beefheart
• Christy Turlington
• Clint Eastwood
• Coldplay
• The Cramps
• Danny DeVito
• David Bowie
• David Byrne
• David Gahan
• Debbie Harry
• Dennis Hopper
• Depeche Mode
• Dwight Yoakam
• Eagle-Eye Cherry
• Easy-E
• Echo & The Bunnymen
• Elvis Costello
• Foo Fighters
• Frank Sinatra
• Frank Tovey
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood
• Glenn Danzig
• Glenn Close
• Grace Jones
• Helena Christensen
• Henry Rollins
• Herbert Grönemeyer
• Ian Curtis
• Ian McCulloch
• Iggy Pop
• The Immaculate Consumptive
• Isabella Rossellini
• Isaac Hayes
• James Brown
• Jeff Buckley
• Jerry Lee Lewis
• Jimmy Page
• Jodie Foster
• John Lee Hooker
• Johnny Cash
• Johnny Depp
• Johnny Rotten
• Jon Bon Jovi
• Joseph Arthur
• Joy Division
• Julian Cope
• Lou Reed
• Kate Bush
• Keith Richards
• Kraftwerk
• Kurt Cobain
• Kylie Minogue
• LL Cool J
• Lenny Kravitz
• Madness
• Massive Attack
• Marianne Faithfull
• Martin Scorsese
• Metallica
• Michael Franti
• Michael Schumacher
• Michael Stipe
• Mick Jagger
• Miles Davis
• Morrissey
• Naomi Campbell
• Neil Young
• Nick Cave
• Nicolas Cage
• Nirvana
• P. J. Harvey
• Palais Schaumburg
• Paul Oakenfold
• Pet Shop Boys
• Pete Townsend
• Peter Gabriel
• Peter Murphy
• Propaganda
• Quentin Tarantino
• R.E.M.
• Robert Plant
• Rolling Stones
• Roy Orbison
• Simple Minds
• Sinéad O'Connor
• Siouxsie Sioux
• Sophie Zelmani
• Steely Dan
• Stephen Dorff
• Steven Spielberg
• Stevie Wonder
• Sting
• Takeshi Kitano
• The Killers
• Therapy?
• Travis
• Trent Reznor
• Tom Jones
• Tom Waits
• Tricky
• U2
• Van Morrison
• Wilco
• Willem Dafoe
• Xmal Deutschland
• ZZ Top

Music video filmography

• "Hockey," Palais Schaumburg (1983)
• "Beat Box," Art of Noise (1984)
• "Dr. Mabuse," Propaganda (1984)
• "Red Guitar," David Sylvian (1984)
• "Seven Seas," Echo & the Bunnymen (1984)
• "The Ink in the Well," David Sylvian (1984)
• "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (third version), U2 (1984)
• "Bring on the Dancing Horses," Echo & the Bunnymen (1985)
• "Quiet Eyes," Golden Earring (1986)
• "A Question of Time," Depeche Mode (1986)
• "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo," Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
• "Strangelove," Depeche Mode (1987)
• "Pimpf," Depeche Mode (1987)
• "The Game," Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
• "Never Let Me Down Again," Depeche Mode (1987)
• "Lips Like Sugar" (first version), Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
• "Behind the Wheel," Depeche Mode (1987)
• "Welcome to Paradise," Front 242
• "My Secret Place," Joni Mitchell with Peter Gabriel (1988)
• "Blueprint," Rainbirds (1988)
• "Atmosphere," Joy Division (1988)
• "Headhunter," Front 242 (1988)
• "Faith and Healing," Ian McCulloch (1989)
• "Sea of Time," Rainbirds (1989)
• "White City of Light," Rainbirds (1989)
• "Personal Jesus," Depeche Mode (1989)
• "Killer Wolf," Danzig (1990)
• "Enjoy the Silence" (first version), Depeche Mode (1990)
• "Policy of Truth," Depeche Mode (1990)
• "World in My Eyes," Depeche Mode (1990)
• "May This Be Your Last Sorrow," Banderas (1990)
• "Clean," Depeche Mode (1991)
• "Marie," Herbert Grönemeyer (1991)
• "Two Faces," Rainbirds (1991)
• "Tragedy (For You)," Front 242 (1991)
• "Halo," Depeche Mode (1991)
• "Front By Front," Front 242 (1992)
• "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll," Garland Jeffreys (1992)
• "Lover Lover Lover," Ian McCulloch (1992)
• "One" (original version), U2 (1992)
• "Straight To You," Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1992)
• "Dirty Black Summer," Danzig (1992)
• "Do I Have to Say the Words?", Bryan Adams (1992)
• "I Feel You," Depeche Mode (1993)
• "Walking In My Shoes," Depeche Mode (1993)
• "Condemnation" (first version), Depeche Mode (1993)
• "Heart-Shaped Box," Nirvana (1993), winner MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video
• "Delia's Gone," Johnny Cash (1994)
• "Mockingbirds," Grant Lee Buffalo (1994)
• "In Your Room," Depeche Mode (1994)
• "Liar," Henry Rollins (1994)
• "Love & Tears," Naomi Campbell (1994)
• "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?", Bryan Adams (1995)
• "My Friends (first version)," Red Hot Chili Peppers (1995)
• "Hero of the Day," Metallica (1996)
• "Mama Said," Metallica (1996)
• "Barrel of a Gun," Depeche Mode (1997)
• "It's No Good," Depeche Mode (1997)
• "Useless," Depeche Mode (1997)
• "Please" (first version), U2 (1997)
• "Bleibt Alles Anders," Herbert Grönemeyer (1998)
• "Fanatisch," Herbert Grönemeyer (1998)
• "Goddess on a Hiway" (second version), Mercury Rev (1998)
• "Salvation," Roxette (1999)
• "Opus 40" (first version), Mercury Rev (1999)
• "Stars," Roxette (1999)
• "Chemical" (first version), Joseph Arthur (2000)
• "In The Sun," Joseph Arthur (2000)
• "Try, Try, Try" The Smashing Pumpkins (2000)
• "Invalid Litter Dept.," At the Drive-In (2001)
• "Freelove" (second version), Depeche Mode (2001)
• "Mensch," Herbert Grönemeyer (2002)
• "Electrical Storm", U2 (2002)
• "Re-Offender," Travis (2003)
• "Zum Meer," Herbert Grönemeyer (2003)
• "All These Things That I've Done" (second version) The Killers (2005)
• "Talk", Coldplay (2005)
• "Suffer Well," Depeche Mode (2005)

Books by Corbijn

• Famouz (1989)
• Strangers (1990)
• Allegro (1991)
• Grönemeyer, Photographien von Anton Corbijn (1993)
• Star Trak (1996)
• 33 Still Lives (1999)
• Stripping Girls (2000, with Marlene Dumas)
• Werk (2000)
• A. Somebody, Strijen, Holland (2002)
• Everybody Hurts (2003)
• U2 & I (2005)

External links

• Official Site
• Anton Corbijn biography
• IMDB Entry
• Director videography
• Hellenic Violation > Anton Corbijn
• Control - 2006 Ian Curtis Movie Dir Anton Corbijn
• Director's Label info

Music video directors | Dutch photographers | 1955 births | Living people

Anton Corbijn | Anton Corbijn | Anton Corbijn | Anton Corbijn | Anton Corbijn | Anton Corbijn