Michel Alfred Comte (born 19 February 1954) is a Swiss artist, filmmaker, fashion and portrait photographer. His most recent art project
Light
, focuses on the impact of environmental decline through his large-scale installations, paintings, sculptures and multimedia artworks. Comte started his career as an art restorer, specializing in

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

artworks such as

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

and

Yves Klein Yves Klein (; 28 April 1928 – 6 June 1962) was a French artist and an important figure in post-war European art. He was a leading member of the French artistic movement of Nouveau réalisme founded in 1960 by art critic Pierre Restany. Klein wa ...

. In 1979, he was discovered by

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

, who gave him his first international assignment for

Chloé Chloé () is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. In 1953, Aghion joined forces with Jacques Lenoir, formally managing the business side of the brand, allowing Aghion to purely pursue the creative growth of Chloé. It ...

and later

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

. He became well known for his work with ''

Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of '' Vogue'' magazine owned by Condé Nast International. In publication since 1964, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. The publication is currently edited by Francesca Ragazzi and ...

'', ''l'Uomo Vogue'', ''Vanity Fair'' and ''Interview'' over the years, and has worked with brands such as

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, ...

Gianfranco Ferre Gianfranco is a compound Italian language, Italian given name, consisting of Gian- and Franco. ''Gian-'' comes from Giovanni and is used in compound names. It is closest to John or French Jean. Gianni means "God is gracious" and Franco means "Free ...

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

and

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

amongst others. He directed and produced his first feature film in 3D, ''

The Girl from Nagasaki ''The Girl from Nagasaki'' is a 2013 romantic musical drama film directed by Michel Comte. The film had its premiere as the closing night film of the ''2013 Naples International Film Festival'' on November 9, 2013. The film later screened at the ...

'' - a retelling of the classic opera ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

'', which premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in 2014. Away from the high-gloss magazines and his campaigns for luxury brands, Comte kept himself grounded by taking on photo assignments for the International Red Cross (ICRC) in war-ravaged regions like Bosnia, Angola, Rwanda and Somalia. His work with the ICRC contributed to fundraising efforts to build an orthopaedic hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan and helped raise awareness and money for victims of conflict. A passionate mountain climber and aviator, Comte began investigating climate change as a student and has had the unprecedented opportunity to observe and portray glacial landscapes all over the world. Two decades ago, Comte decided to wind down most of his activities as a commercial photographer to focus on ''Light'', his most recent art project. ''Light'' is the study of natural landscapes and explores the impact of environmental changes via sculpture, paintings, installations and photography. ''Light'' has been exhibited at the

Triennale di Milano The Triennale di Milano is a museum of art and design in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the , built between 1931 and 1933 to designs by Giovanni Muzio and financed by Antonio Bernocchi and his ...

(2017),

MAXXI MAXXI (, 'national museum of 21st-century arts') is a national museum of contemporary art and architecture in the Flaminio neighborhood of Rome, Italy. The museum is managed by a foundation created by the Italian Ministry of Culture. The buildi ...

in Rome (2017), Urs Meile Galleries (Beijing 2018 and Lucerne 2020) an
Dirimart
(Turkey) (2019).

Early life and career

Comte was born 19 February 1954, in

Zürich, Switzerland Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, the only child of Alfred Heinrich Comte (1926-2022) and Sylvia Maria Comte (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Boetschi; 1928-2015). His paternal grandfather was Swiss aviation pioneer Alfred Comte who co-founded

Swissair Swissair (German language, German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French language, French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne, stylised as swissair) was the Flag carrier, national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and ban ...

. His father was a field sales representative and later board member of his photo studio Michel Comte SA. Beginning with his grandfather, the family frequented Kronenhalle restaurant in Zürich, on a regular basis. He studied in England and in France, then started his career in contemporary art restoration, specializing in the works of

and

. He was interested in photography and when moving to Paris in 1979, he was discovered by

, who gave him first international assignment for the fashion house of

Chloe Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root , which relates to the colors yellow and green. Th ...

. Comte then started working for such publications as ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' US, ''

'', ''Per Lui'', '' Vanity Fair'', and fashion houses such as

Emanuel Ungaro Emanuel Ungaro (13 February 1933 – 21 December 2019) was a French fashion designer who founded his eponymous fashion house in 1965. Early life Ungaro's Italian father fled to France from Francavilla Fontana of Brindisi province because of t ...

Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...

and so on.

Career

Comte produced many portraits including

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, ...

Louise Bourgeois Louise Joséphine Bourgeois (; 25 December 191131 May 2010) was a French-American artist. Although she is best known for her large-scale sculpture and installation art, Bourgeois was also a prolific painter and printmaker. She explored a varie ...

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; ; 23 December 1967) is an Italian and French singer, songwriter and fashion model who served as the List of spouses or partners of the president of France, first lady of Fran ...

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...

Helena Christensen Helena Christensen (born 25 December 1968) is a Danish fashion model. She is a former Victoria's Secret Angel, co-founder and original creative director for ''Nylon'' magazine, and she is a supporter of funding for breast cancer organizations an ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model and actress. Paradis became a star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single " Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's highest ho ...

. Many of his images are shot for his long-time friend and influencer

Franca Sozzani Franca Sozzani (; 20 January 1950 – 22 December 2016) was an Italian journalist and the editor-in-chief of '' Vogue Italia'' from 1988 until her death in 2016. Biography Sozzani was born and grew up in Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy. She wa ...

, an editor-in-chief of

. He continues to shoot for ''

.'' His advertising projects include

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Lancôme Lancôme () is a French perfume and cosmetics house that distributes products internationally. A subsidiary of L'Oréal, Lancôme offers skin care, fragrances, and makeup. History Founded in 1935 by Guillaume d'Ornano and his business partn ...

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

Hennessy Jas Hennessy & Cie., commonly known simply as Hennessy (), is a French producer of cognac, founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy which has its headquarters in Cognac, France. It is one of the best-known cognac houses, along with Martell, Courvo ...

Davidoff Davidoff is a Swiss premium brand of cigars, cigarettes and smoker's accessories. The Davidoff cigarette brand has been owned by Imperial Brands after purchasing it in 2006. The non-cigarette portion of the Davidoff tobacco brand is owned by Oe ...

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

Trussardi Trussardi () is an Italian fashion house based in Milan, Italy, and specialized in leather goods, ready-to-wear, perfumes, and accessories. Trussardi was founded in 1911 as a leather glove manufacturer, and expanded its line to additional leath ...

, Pomellato, Celine,

Givenchy Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert d ...

Zeiss Zeiss or Zeiß may refer to: People *Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), German optician and entrepreneur *Emil Zeiß (1833–1910), German Protestant minister and painter * Juan Pablo Zeiss (born 1989), Argentine rugby union player * Mary Zeiss Sta ...

and so on. He was awarded as Photographer of the year 2000 by PHOTO magazine. Comte also followed the career of F1 driver

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...

Photo journalism

Comte is involved in and known for his photo-reportage and documentary work. In collaboration with Pomellato and

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...

, he contributed to the construction of the orthopaedic centre in Kabul. He traveled in conflict areas such as

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and many others.

Film

Comte directed and produced his first feature film in 3D, ''

'', retelling of the classic

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'', in which Puccini's tragic heroine, emerging from the ashes of the atomic bomb, begins her fateful story of obsession for an American pilot.

Personal life

After living in Milan and Paris, Comte relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1981. In 1986, he married Dominique Kamber, a photo model. They divorced in 1997. They had two sons; * Diederik Comte (born 1987), a photographer * Brandon Oliver Comte (1993–2024) In September 2007, Comte met Japanese-born model, stylist, costume designer and filmmaker Ayako Yoshida (born 1983), whom he married in April of 2008. They have been living in

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Los Angeles Westside, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Together with Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills, Bel Air fo ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

for over ten years before relocating back Switzerland. They divorced in 2025. Comte currently resides in

Küsnacht Küsnacht () is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland. History Küsnacht is first mentioned in 1188 as ''de Cussenacho''. Earliest findings of settlement date back to the Stone Age. There are also findi ...

Lake Zürich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...

Books

* ''Michel Comte. Object Carpet'', Achermann, 1996 * ''Michel Comte: Kontraste/Contrasts'', Stern Portfolio Library of Photography, 1998 * ''Twenty Years 1979-1999: Faces by Michel Comte'' - Schirmer/Mosel, 1999 * ''Aiko T.'' - Steidl, 2000 * ''People and Places with No Name'' - Steidl, 2000 * ''Charlie Chaplin: A Photo Diary'' - Steidl, 2002 * ''Michael Schumacher: Driving Force'' - Ebury, 2003 * ''Michael by Michel (Michael Schumacher by Michel Comte)'' - Steidl, 2003 * ''The Face of Pace'', Scuderia Ferrari - 2006 * ''Michel Comte on Women'' - I-Management, 2006 * ''Michel Comte: The Classics'' - I-Management, 2007 * ''Badenfahrt'' - Ed. Zimmermann, 2007 * ''Tibet'', Zimmermann, 2007 * ''791: Michel Comte on Michael Schumacher'' - Ed. Zimmermann, 2007 * ''Speed! Michel Comte on Michael Schumacher'', La Scuderia Ferrari, 2007 * ''Michel Comte - 360°'' - NRW Forum Kultur und Wirtschaft/Museum fur Gestaltung, 2008 * ''Michel Comte - Thirty Years and Five Minutes'' - teNeues, 2009 * ''Michel Comte, Crescendo Fotografico'', curated by Walter Keller, Carlo Cambi Editore, 2010 * ''Michel Comte: Not Only Women, Feminine Icons of Our Times'' - Silvana Editoriale, 2011 * ''The Little Girl from Nagasaki, A Film by Michel Comte'', 2014 * ''Michel Comte and MILK. A collaboration'' - Damiani, 2015 * ''Light'', Michel Comte,

Steidl Steidl is a German-language publisher based in Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1968 by Gerhard Steidl, it publishes photobooks. Overview The company was started by Gerhard Steidl.Bill Kouwenhoven, "Off to see the wizard", ''British Journa ...

, 2017 * ''Aviator'', Michael Comte, Steidl, 2020

Exhibitions

* Peggy Guggenheim, Venice 1995 * Wanderausstellung, Germany 2001 * Centro Internazionale di Fotografia, Verona 2002 * He Xiang Ning Art Museum, Shenzhen, 2005 * ''The Face of Pace''. La Scuderia Ferrari. Michel Comte, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich 2006 * ''Michel Comte on Women'', Hotel Suvretta House, St Moritz, 2006 * Pobeda Gallery, Moscow 2007 * Espace de l'art contemporain, Mouans-Sartoux 2008 * NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf 2009 * Young Gallery, Brussels 2009 * Museum fur Gestaltung, Zürich 2009 * ''Not Only Women'', Lu.C.C.A. Center of Contemporary Arts, Lucca 2010 * ''Crescendo Fotografico'', Triennale di Milano, Milan 2011 * Grand Palais, Paris, 2011 * Contemporary Istanbul, Istanbul, 2012 * Au Premier, HB, Zürich, 2013 * Kunst Haus, Vienna, 2013 * Galerie XXI, Geneva, 2015 * ''MILK'', New York, 2015 * ''Michel Comte Neoclassic'', Palazzo del Governatore, Parma, 2016 * ''Michel Comte. Light'', MAXXI, Rome, 2017 * ''Michel Comte Black Light, White Light'', Triennale di Milano, Milan, 2017 * ''Light III'', Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing 2018 * ''Erosion'', Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne 2020

References

External links

Michel Comte Official Website

Michel Comte Estate Official Website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comte, Michel 1954 births Living people Portrait photographers Fashion photographers Swiss film directors Artists from Zurich Swiss-German people Swiss photographers Swiss contemporary artists