Juergen Teller

Self-portrait after workout, London, 2013

interview by OLIVIER ZAHM and LILY MCMENAMY
photography by JUERGEN TELLER

 

The brilliant German artist and photographer recently took on the digital revolution without tarnishing his radical aesthetic. What’s his formula?

OLIVIER ZAHM — So tell me the story, Juergen, of this show at the Musée d’Orsay, “Masculine/Masculine. The Nude Man in Art from 1800 to the Present Day.” Did you know one of your self-portraits was being included in this show to incarnate the crisis of masculinity, alongside a picture by Eadweard Muybridge, sculptures by Auguste Rodin, and paintings by Paul Cézanne, Gustave Moreau and Egon Schiele?
JUERGEN TELLER — No, I didn’t know anything about this show… I was in Paris at the fashion shows and Ashley Heath, the editor of Pop, texted me: “Oh my god, are you aware? I’ve just been to the “Masculine/Masculine” show. It’s…