Our fifth, highly anticipated release in TPG’s 50th Anniversary Golden Editions series has been generously donated by iconic, Paris-based photographer William Klein (b. New York, 1928).

This striking, previously unpublished image comes in a small, exclusive edition number of just ten.

Two Boys Near Inverness, 1963, emphasises Klein’s characteristic use of grain, high-contrast, blur and spontaneity of subject matter which were revolutionary at the time. Captured in the small village of Culloden, whilst Klein was in the Scotland for a Town magazine shoot; the frank and unapologetic gaze of his young subjects lends an authenticity to the work, whilst the grin and jaunty stance of the taller boy suggests a playfulness on both sides of the camera.

Klein is a pioneer of 20th Century photography, world-renowned for his ironic approach and extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in photojournalism and fashion photography. His raw, dramatic images of 1950s New York helped create the art of street photography.

Klein’s dramatic series ‘Soho’s Fight For Survival,’ commissioned by the Sunday Times in 1980 was highlighted in The Photographers’ Gallery’s recent exhibition Shot in Soho, 2019. An ode to our own neighbourhood, the show celebrated Soho’s diverse culture, community and history of creative innovation as well as highlighting its position as a site of resistance. A major solo exhibition of Klein's work was shown at The Photographers' Gallery in 1978, celebrating his photographs of the 50's and 60s.

William Klein began his artistic career as a painter in the Paris studio of Fernand Léger, who encouraged him to experiment with different mediums including filmmaking, graphic design and photography. It was at an exhibition of his kinetic sculptures that Klein met Alexander Liberman the art director for American Vogue, who offered Klein work as a fashion photographer, which would take him back to New York City.

Having very few preconceived notions about photographic practices, Klein developed an approach that shocked the established world of photography. He not only accepted, but cultivated the ‘deficiencies’ of the 35-millimeter camera. Taking the models out of the studio and onto the streets, his revolutionary techniques pioneered a new vision, and the resulting images were full of energy and a sense of rebellion.

In 1963 at Photokina, Cologne, Klein was named one of the 30 most important photographers of the century. In 1989 he was made a Commander of Arts and Letters in France. Subsequently in 1990 he won the prestigious Hasselblad Award and in 1999 he was awarded the Medal of the Century by the Royal Photographic Society in London. In 2007 he received the International Center of Photography Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement, and more recently in April 2012, he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award at the 2012 Sony World Photography Awards.

At the age of 93 Klein continues to live and work in Paris, France.