Willie Christie English

 

 

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Willie Christie worked extensively as a photographer for British Vogue, collaborating closely with Grace Coddington (whom he later married) and the late Liz Tilberis. He produced ten covers for Vogue along with numerous editorial features. His portfolio includes award-winning advertising campaigns (for L’Oréal and Yves Saint Laurent), fashion and portrait work featuring international icons such as Cary Grant, Grace Jones, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Mills, and Catherine Deneuve, as well as covers and portraits for the rock ’n’ roll world, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, and Lou Reed.

Christie’s work has been exhibited at Vision Gallery (Arizona), the Little Black Gallery in London, and the Ivy in London, and was selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2011. His iconic 1969 portrait of Mick Jagger was included in the international tour of Les Rencontres d’Arles in 2010.

His work appears in numerous publications, including People in Vogue by Robin Derrick and Robin Muir, Wonderful Today by Pattie Boyd, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd by Nick Mason, Vogue Photographic Covers by Valerie Lloyd, A Memoir by Grace Coddington, An Affectionate Punch by Justin de Villeneuve, and The Rolling Stones, the definitive illustrated history of the band published by Taschen. Two images from this volume were also exhibited in a Rolling Stones show by Taschen in Los Angeles in 2014. Justin de Villeneuve lists Willie among his three favorite photographers, alongside Richard Avedon and Bert Stern.

In 1968, while unsuccessfully trying to find work in film, Willie auditioned for Federico Fellini, who told him he was “very good-looking but not experienced enough”—in fact, completely inexperienced. He briefly worked on the yacht Kalizma of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. He also appeared (in playback) with Roxy Music on Top of the Pops, replacing their missing bassist.

The late David Anthony gave him his first photography assignment, encouraging him to pursue the field. He later worked for a year with Clive Arrowsmith before launching his professional career in 1970. After producing numerous photographic works in 1970–71 for Lady Clare Rendlesham—who had opened the first Yves Saint Laurent boutique in London—she asked him in 1972 to curate and design the music selection for that year’s haute couture show.

In 1977, Willie filmed the opening sequence for “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” for Pink Floyd’s Animals Tour. In 1982, he moved behind the camera, writing and directing commercials and music videos, including Pink Floyd’s 20-minute film for The Final Cut and the first cinema commercial for “Medway” shoes. He directed over 60 commercials in the following years, many of which won awards such as Creative Circle, Lion, and Clio.

In 1998, he adapted and directed The Whisper, based on a short story by Anton Chekhov, starring Michael Gough, Jamie Glover, and Emma Pierson. The film was shown at international festivals and was shortlisted for a BAFTA for “Best Short Film.”

In 1999, he directed a limited-run production of Siren by David Williamson at the Grace Theatre in London. The launch of his Limited-Edition Collection in 2011 marked the first time Christie drew from his personal archive to present previously unseen work spanning over three decades.

Following a successful private preview at the Sophie Birdwood Gallery, he presented the collection at ‘Eight’ in the City of London. In December 2011, he held a one-night exhibition supporting Facing the World, followed by further private events and a critically acclaimed show at the Ivy Club in 2012. He has also delivered several talks about his work.

In 2013, he designed a BT ArtBox in support of ChildLine, displayed at Harvey Nichols and later outside Vogue House before being sold to a private buyer.

In recent years, his work—both new and archival—has appeared in publications such as Schon Magazine, Classic Rock, Prog, Russian Vogue, Vivienne Westwood, French Elle, and especially Encens, the iconic French magazine that approaches fashion as an art form from the designers’ perspective rather than trends. A major feature (around 20 pages) appeared in The Unseasonal (“Night Swim / Issue 111”).

In November 2019, after forty years, Willie returned significantly to fashion photography with a 20-page shoot for Encens. The work was so well received that he was asked to repeat the project, though it was later postponed due to travel restrictions. That same year, fashion and cultural historian Laura McLaws Helms featured him on the Lady’s After Hours podcast to discuss his life and career. Also in 2019, Prog magazine published an in-depth interview about his work with Pink Floyd.

Willie is currently the author of three screenplays seeking production. All have undergone professional evaluation and have received a “Green Light.” One has earned a “Double Recommend” (USA and UK), while the other two have received a “Consider Grade.”

In addition to his film projects, Willie is also in partnership with the renowned television production company Storyvault on photography-related projects.

 

WILLIE CHRISTIE – THEN & NOW

This is the proposed title for the first anthology of Willie Christie’s work. It has been noted that his output from the 1970s still holds strong relevance today. Although he has largely stepped back from professional photography—currently engaged, among other things, in writing a commissioned feature film screenplay—Willie has assembled a high-profile team for his first book, which brings together and presents work from the 1970s and 1980s alongside more recent pieces. Hence the title Then & Now.