01 / Career record
Early life and education
Nicholas David Gordon Knight was born on 24 November 1958 in Hammersmith, London, and studied photography at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. He later became an honorary professor at University of the Arts London, which also awarded him an honorary PhD.
02 / Career record
Early career
While still a student, Knight published his first photobook, Skinhead, in 1982. The work caught the attention of i-D editor Terry Jones, who commissioned a portrait series for the magazine’s fifth-anniversary issue; that project in turn attracted art director Marc Ascoli, who engaged Knight to photograph Yohji Yamamoto’s 1986 catalogue alongside graphic designer Peter Saville — the commission that established him as a fashion photographer.
03 / Career record
SHOWstudio and film
In 1992, Knight took a sabbatical from fashion work to collaborate with architect David Chipperfield on "Plant Power," an exhibition at London’s Natural History Museum that remained on display for fifteen years. In November 2000 he launched SHOWstudio.com, an early and influential digital platform for fashion film and image-making, and the following year directed his first music video, for Björk’s "Pagan Poetry." Further video work followed for Massive Attack, Lady Gaga’s "Born This Way" (2011), and Kanye West’s "Bound 2" and "Black Skinhead" (2013).
04 / Career record
Recognition
In 2016, Knight photographed official portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles for the Queen’s 90th birthday, and his 1992 Jil Sander campaign photograph of Tatjana Patitz sold at Phillips in Hong Kong for HK$2,360,000 — a record for the artist. In 2019 he directed Kanye West’s film Jesus Is King, shot at James Turrell’s Roden Crater and released in IMAX. He won the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at the British Fashion Awards in 2015 and was appointed CBE in 2023 for services to fashion and photography, having previously been appointed OBE.
05 / At a glance
Quick facts.
- —Published his debut photobook, Skinhead, in 1982 while still a student
- —Photographed Yohji Yamamoto’s 1986 catalogue with graphic designer Peter Saville, his breakthrough fashion commission
- —Founded SHOWstudio.com, November 2000, an early and influential home for fashion film online
- —Shot official portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles for the Queen’s 90th birthday, 2016
- —His 1992 Jil Sander campaign photograph of Tatjana Patitz sold for HK$2,360,000 at auction, 2016 — an artist record
- —Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire, 2023, for services to fashion and photography