Every Supermodel’s Favorite Photographer Arthur Elgort Takes Turn in Front of the Lens

The difference between an iconic photograph and a mediocre one comes down to a split second. And it takes a photographer with a remarkable eye to know just when to capture that blip in time. No one achieved this undefinable magic quite like Arthur Elgort, one of the best-known photographers of the supermodel era. Now the subject of a loving documentary, Models and Muses, the photographer’s ethos was distilled by his son, Warren, who was inspired to explore his father’s life after the senior Elgort was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2021, but still lives to see his legacy preserved forever on film. Originally premiering last fall at the Hamptons International Film Festival, Models and Muses will have its Dallas debut at the Angelika Film Center on April 22 before getting a wider streaming release. 

“I was studying film when Arthur was diagnosed, so his declining health set a deadline for finishing,” Warren says of his film. “A stroke a decade ago left Arthur’s right side paralyzed, and he had to relearn speech. Filming changed when Linda Evangelista visited the studio, helping Arthur express himself and articulate his ideas.”

Warren went through millions of negatives and hundreds of hours of footage to tell the story, leaning heavily on editor Anne Goursand, who has cut three films for the director Francis Ford Coppola.

The photographer’s Texan connection is organic; he has shot local supermodels Chandra North and Bridget Hall for Vogue. North says she loved working with Arthur for the effervescent energy he brought to the set.

“He brought out your performative side,” she says. “If you were dancing in a park with no music, he’d sing the Rolling Stones. He inspired playfulness, not too cool, which comes through in the pictures. Everything feels spontaneous, but not all photographers capture moments naturally.”

Arthur started as a painter and worked at Carnegie Hall before photographing ballet dancers for the iconic choreographer George Balanchine. Realizing he couldn’t make a living photographing dancers, he switched to shooting models for Mademoiselle and was soon called to work for Condé Nast’s flagship publication, Vogue.

“(Publisher) Alexander Lieberman said, ‘You’re doing too well for Mademoiselle, what are we going to do?’” Arthur recalls. “I said, ‘Aren’t you in charge of Vogue? Figure it out yourself! And I switched magazines.” 

This led to several decades traversing the globe while helping to build the careers of some of the 20th century’s most famous faces, including Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, who are featured in the documentary. As pop culture cycles through the nostalgia of the 1990s (exemplified by the success of the recent John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette biopic, Love Story), Arthur’s work seems as timely — and timeless — as ever. While photographing the rise of designers such as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren, he established both his own business and defined the modern American woman. 

Warren had a front-row seat to this journey for his entire life. Growing up, he was often roped into Vogue shoots alongside his siblings, photographer Sophie, and actor Ansel, who has starred in films such as Baby Driver and West Side Story. 

“He’s never not taking photographs, so all of his children were basically trained from birth to be great models,” Warren tells us. “The number of masterpieces taken by my father that I happen to be in is astounding. Now I’m learning to really appreciate all of those experiences. He leads by example, doing what he loves. It’s contagious, and then he passes me a camera.” 

With 12 books under his belt, including the bestselling Models Manual, the photographer’s legacy continues. Introducing a new generation to his work is a fresh chapter of a storied career that took him all over the globe, from Iron Curtain Russia to Communist China. As he looks back on the first-class flights and epic locations, the supermodel discoveries and glossy covers, Arthur’s relationship with his family is one of his proudest moments, as is illustrated in the film. 

“I see them all the time, and they call me every day,” he muses. “I’m really lucky. I know I’m good, but I’m lucky, too. I was in the right place.”

Still, Warren says his father’s love for the camera remains his greatest inspiration.

“I planned a tidy ending to the film, expecting my dad to tell me he is most proud of his children,” says the photographer’s son. “But that just isn’t the case. There’s no doubt he loves his family very much, but there’s a reason he is one of the greatest photographers ever — he loves it with all his heart.”

Models and Muses has its Dallas premiere on April 22 at 7 p.m. at the Angelika Film Center. Tickets are free with reservations.