Deborah Turbeville

(American, 1938–2013)

Deborah Lou Turbeville was an American photographer most known for her role in shifting the style of fashion photography from its traditional, well-lit images to a brooding, dreamy style. Unlike her contemporaries Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton, whose styles were also edgy and dark but leaned more towards urban, erotic tones, Turbeville’s aesthetic tended towards a dreamy and mysterious style, contradicting the ideas of technical perfection and the sexualization of the female figure. “The idea of disintegration is really at the heart of my work,” she said about her photography, which has been characterized by its grain, its use of pastel, sepia, or black and white tones, and by its image blurring techniques. Turbeville was born on July 6, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts. Growing up she was very involved in theater, dance, and literature. She moved to New York after school initially intending to pursue a career in theater, however she was discovered by fashion designer Claire McCardell and was asked to join her design studio. Through her work, Turbeville later met Diana Vreeland, editor of Harper’s Bazaar at the time, and became editor at the magazine where she worked with photographers like Richard Avedon, Bob Richardson, and Diane Arbus and started to develop her own style. Over the years, her work was published in numerous publications such as VOGUE, The New York Times, W, and The London Sunday Times. One of her most famous images, Bath House, was taken in 1975 for a swimsuit photoshoot for VOGUE. Showing five listless women leaning against the shower room walls of a condemned New York bathhouse, the photograph was included in an exhibition in Hofstra University later that year. Turbeville also published several books of her photographs including Les Amoureuses Du Temps Passé, Nostalgia, Casa No Name, and The Fashion Pictures. Dividing her time between residences in New York, San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, and St. Petersburg in Russia, she received a Fulbright grant for her work in Russia as well as a citation from the Russian Cultural Administration for exposing Russian culture and arts to the world. Turbeville passed away from lung cancer on October 24, 2013 in New York. Her work is included today in the permanent collections of many institutions around the world, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.

Deborah Turbeville Artworks

Deborah Turbeville (131 results)
BATHHOUSE, AMERICAN VOGUE, 1975

Deborah Turbeville

BATHHOUSE, AMERICAN VOGUE, 1975

Sale Date: October 13, 1992

Auction Closed

A VIEW FROM THE QUEEN'S STATE BEDCHAMBER..., 1981

Deborah Turbeville

A VIEW FROM THE QUEEN'S STATE BEDCHAMBER..., 1981

Sale Date: October 13, 1992

Auction Closed

DANCERS, 1980–1989

Deborah Turbeville

DANCERS, 1980–1989

Sale Date: October 13, 1992

Auction Closed

Two figures

Deborah Turbeville

Two figures

Sale Date: May 13, 1992

Auction Closed

SELECTED IMAGES

Deborah Turbeville

SELECTED IMAGES

Sale Date: April 17, 1991

Auction Closed

CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES, 1980–1980

Deborah Turbeville

CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES, 1980–1980

Sale Date: December 1, 1990

Auction Closed

NU A LA CHEMINEE, 1980–1980

Deborah Turbeville

NU A LA CHEMINEE, 1980–1980

Sale Date: December 1, 1990

Auction Closed

JEUNE FILLE EN GARE DE MILAN, 1978–1979

Deborah Turbeville

JEUNE FILLE EN GARE DE MILAN, 1978–1979

Sale Date: December 1, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1970–1979

Deborah Turbeville

Untitled, 1970–1979

Sale Date: November 2, 1989

Auction Closed

FASHION STUDIES (2), 1975–1981

Deborah Turbeville

FASHION STUDIES (2), 1975–1981

Sale Date: November 2, 1987

Auction Closed

SELECTED IMAGES (6), 1973–1981

Deborah Turbeville

SELECTED IMAGES (6), 1973–1981

Sale Date: May 6, 1987

Auction Closed