Mark Seliger

Mark Seliger was born in Amarillo Texas in 1959, where he lived with his parents, Maurice and Carol Lee, and his two older brothers and younger sister, until 1964, when they moved to Houston.

He attended Houston’s High School for Performing & Visual Arts and, from there, went on to attend East Texas State University, where his education began in earnest, as he studied graphic art and photography.

He moved to New York City in 1984.

In 1987, he began shooting for Rolling Stone. He was signed as their chief photographer in 1992. During his time at Rolling Stone, Seliger shot over 125 covers and began a long term collaborative relationship with Design Director, Fred Woodward, which continued into their work with GQ. They have co-directed numerous music videos for artists such as Hole, Lenny Kravitz, Gillian Welch and Elvis Costello.

In 2001, Seliger moved from Rolling Stone to Condé Nast. He shoots frequently for Vanity Fair, Elle, GQ, Italian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and German Vogue.

In 2011, he founded a non-profit exhibition space for photography called 401 Projects, which has featured shows for James Nachtwey, Eugene Richards, Albert Watson, Platon, among others. He also hosted the Emmy-nominated show “Capture” on You Tube’s Reserve Channel, which focuses on candid conversations between established photographers such as Platon, Mary Ellen Mark, Martin Schoeller, Bob Gruen, etc and celebrities who are interested in photography (Dylan McDermott, Helena Christensen, Judd Apatow).

Seliger continues his love of the darkroom by using the platinum palladium process to create large-scale, 30”x40” prints, and his photographs have been exhibited in museums and galleries.

He has published numerous books, including: Mark Seliger Photographs (Abrams, 2018), On Christopher Street: Transgender Stories (Rizzoli, 2016), Listen (Rizzoli, 2010), Mark Seliger: The Music Book (teNeues, 2008), In My Stairwell (Rizzoli, 2005), Lenny Kravitz/Mark Seliger (Arena, 2001), Physiognomy (Bullfinch, 1999) and When They Came to Take My Father – Voices from the Holocaust (Arcade, 1996).

Seliger is the recipient of such esteemed awards as: Alfred Eisenstaedt Award, Lucie Award, Clio Grand Prix, Cannes Lions Grand Prix, ASME’s and most recently the 2019 Texas Medal of Arts Award.

His photographs are part of the permanent collection of the Houston Fine Art Museum, as well as the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2018
Mark Seliger Photographs, Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Mark Seliger Photographs, A. Galerie, Paris, France
Mark Seliger Photographs, Hazelton Fine Art Galleries, Toronto, CA
2017
Mark Seliger, Christopher Street: Portraits, Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016
Christopher Street: Transgender Portraits, 231 Projects, New York, NY
2014
Mark Seliger, Beetles + Huxley, London, England
2012
Mark Seliger: Look and Listen, Photographers Limited Editions, Vienna, Austria
Capture, Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, CA
2011
MARK SELIGER: Listen, Steven Kasher Gallery, New York City, NY
2006
In My Stairwell, Fahey / Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

Selected Group Exhibitions
2018
Vichy Photo Festival, Vichy, France
2012
Three Years of Photo Art, Photographers Limited Editions, Vienna, Austria
2010
Inspired, Steven Kasher Gallery, New York City, NY
2007
Ultrasonic International II: Translating Transience, Mark Moore Gallery, CA

Selected Awards
2019 Texas Medal of Arts
2017 Cannes Lions Golden Lion Award
2015 ASME Reader’s Choice Award
2013 Cannes Lions Golden Lion Award + CLIO Grand Prix
2009 Lucie Award Honoree for Achievement in Portraiture +
2004 The Society of Publication Designers Gold Medal Award of Excellence
The Society of Publication Designers Silver Medal Award of Distinctive Achievement
2002 The Society of Publication Designers Gold Medal Award +
Country Music Video of the Year – Willie Nelson featuring LeAnn Womack
2001 The Society of Publication Designers Gold Medal Award
American Photography Annual Certificate of Excellence
2000 Photo District News Merit Award
American Photography Annual Certificate of Excellence for Sports Hall of Fame
1999 Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Best Single Image