George Holz was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (aka “the Secret City”), graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and assisted for Helmut Newton, whom he credits with guiding his career. As a fledgling photographer, he lived in Milan and Paris, where he shot beauty and fashion for major European magazines such as Italian Vogue and French Elle. Afterward, he moved to New York City, where he set up his famous studio on Lafayette Street, traveling frequently to Los Angeles and Europe to shoot fashion, advertising, and portraiture for major publications such as Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar. His fine-art nudes have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. His shows have included “Original Sin” and “Three Boys from Pasadena – A Tribute to Helmut Newton” with fellow Art Center alumni Just Loomis and Mark Arbeit. Holz has collected a variety of prestigious industry awards over the years including a Grammy and a Clio.
Holz works as an adjunct professor and lectures internationally at museums and universities, mentoring young photographers and passing on his photographic aspirations to “always begin and end with light, ” to “do it all in-camera,” and to “bring modern photography back to the level of the artful burn and dodge of the past.”
Holz continues to travel extensively for his commercial work, fine-art shows, and lectures, and is currently working on several projects, including his upcoming book of nudes. When not exploring remote locations and photographing his muses, George's favorite pastimes include traveling the American backroads in his '58 Airstream and conversing with his chocolate lab, Ruby.
Career
Early work
A native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Holz received his first camera as a gift at age 15, a Minolta SR-T 101. With this camera, he took a photo of country star Lynn Anderson, which was published in People Magazine when Holz was still a teenager. After graduating from high school, Holz traveled to Europe and Israel, practicing travel and documentary photography. Holz was educated at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. While there, he apprenticed with Helmut Newton. Newton encouraged Holz to go to Europe and Holz spent several years at the beginning of his career in Milan, where his fashion editorials appeared in European publications such as Vogue Italia, Madame Figaro, and French Elle. He then returned to Los Angeles and focused on shooting album covers, including Madonna's Borderline.
After his success in Europe, Holz moved to New York in the mid-1980s, where he opened a studio in Greenwich Village. He continued to shoot fashion editorial for Harper's Bazaar, Interview Magazine and The New York Times, and began celebrity portraiture as well, publishing his images in InStyle, People, Glamour, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, and Vanity Fair. Notably, Holz was one of the first major photographers to shoot Angelina Jolie at the beginning of her career.
Current work
Holz has moved between editorial and advertising work for the past two decades. He created numerous advertising campaigns, including ones for Elizabeth Arden, Bloomingdales, DeBeers and Max Factor, and won a Clio Award for his campaign for the International Gold Corporation. Holz continued to lens the artwork for a number of albums, including those of Shania Twain, Lindsay Lohan, Mariah Carey, Van Halen, Joan Jett, Boyz II Men, and Chaka Kahn. In 1990, he won a Grammy for his artwork on Suzanne Vega's album Days of Open Hand.
Holz also began shooting movie posters, including those for Face/Off, The General's Daughter, Along Came a Spider, and Glitter as well as the print campaigns for TV shows House, Smash, Fringe, and Hell's Kitchen. In 2003, George appeared on America's Next Top Model, shooting the models underwater in a tank and serving as a judge.
Books
In 1997, Holz' Original Sin, the exhibition catalogue to his traveling exhibit was published by Domeqc. His collection of celebrity portraits, HOLZ HOLLYWOOD: 30 YEARS OF PORTRAITS" was published by DAAB MEDIA in April, 2015
Style
Holz calls his style "painting with light" and his work betrays a sensuous, nuanced vision. Holz has shot both celebrities and nudes, two groups likely to become inhibited in front of the camera. His extensive work in both areas indicates his facility with making subjects comfortable and his ability to draw out his subjects.