Mario Sorrenti ospite a Istambul '74

Mario was born in Naples, Italy in 1971, at the age of ten he moved with his family to New York City. While growing up in a creative family environment with his father, an artist, and his mother working in the fashion industry, Mario, in his teens started documenting his life through photography, always believing in his images and standing strong against compromising his work. Mario’s photographs came to the attention of several leading creative directors, which eventually led to Calvin Klein commissioning him to work on their advertising campaign for their collection and obsession fragrance. This is where it really began for Mario at the age of 21. Mario lives in New York and shoots for publications such as French Vogue, Italian Vogue, V Magazine, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Self Service, Another Magazine, Arena Homme Plus and Vogue Hommes International. While continuing to do campaigns for Calvin Klein over the years, Mario Sorrenti has also worked with leading fashion houses, beauty and fragrance clients such as Barney’s New York, Hugo Boss, Missoni, Dolce and Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Hermes, Chloe, Longchamp, Jil Sander, Yves Saint Laurent, Shiseido, Kenzo, Max Mara, Prada and Lancome. In addition to his efforts as a photographer, Mario Sorrenti has directed commercials and moving image pieces for Calvin Klein, Emporio Armani, Dsquared and Usher among others. He has also directed several music videos for John Mayer entitled “Daughters” and “Say”. Mario has published a book called “The Machine” (Steidl/editions Stromboli 2001), a photographic study of his younger brother and fellow photographer Davide who passed away in 1997. Other publications containing Mario’s photographs include Kate, Pavilion Books ltd. 1995; Fashion, Scalo 1996; The Imperfect Beauty, V&A Publications 2000; Tomo (in memory of Davide), Sartorial Communicazione 2001; Archeology of Elegance, Thames & Hudson and Shirmer/Mosel 2002; Water Culture, Trolly ltd. 2003; Fashioning Fiction: Photography since 1990, The Museum of Modern Art 2004, and Face of Fashion, National Portrait Gallery 2007.Further to his publications, Mario Sorrenti’s work has appeared in solo exhibitions at Gallery 213, Paris, October 1997; Ferrini and Biondi (photographs and diaries) Los Angeles, November 2002; and Draw Blood, Roth Horowitz, New York City, May 2004. Other exhibitions where Mario’s photographs have been shown include Festival de la Mode, Monaco, 1995; The Imperfect Beauty (the making of contemporary fashion photographs) at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, September 2000; Attitude, a story of posing, the Victoria & Albert Museum London, September 2000; Copy, Roth Horowitz, New York City, May 2002; Archeology of Elegance, Paris 2002; Chasing its Tale, New York, April 2004.

A group exhibition containing Mario’s work appeared at the National Portrait Gallery entitled “Face of Fashion”. London, February 2007. In July 2008 Mario was chosen to be part of an international group show entitled “Fashion in Motion,” as a recipient of the “2008 Martell Artist of the Year” Award. The exhibition traveled from Guandong to Shanghai, and ended in Beijing at the Today Museum.Photographic work by Mario Sorrenti is held in the collections of:The Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Tate Modern, London (on loan from the V&A) New York Public Library, New York

The National Portrait Gallery, London