Frank Habicht
9 December 1938, Hamburg, Germany – 8 October 2024, Kawakawa, Aotearoa, New Zealand
It is with deep sadness and joy that we announce the passing of Frank Habicht, beloved ‘Papa’ to filmmaker Florian and musician Sebastian, and soul mate to Christine for 55 years. Frank passed away peacefully at Kawakawa Hospital on October 8, 2024, leaving behind a legacy that captured the spirit of London in the Sixties through his photography. Frank has now set sail for unknown shores, but his essence and free spirit will live on forever in the images that defined a generation.
The Guardian - Frank Habicht Obituary 16 Oct 2024
Radio New Zealand tribute by Peter de Graaf 15 Oct 2024
The New Zealand Herald pays tribute to Frank Habicht 16 Oct 2024 by Brodie Stone
CNN Story by Allyssia Alleyne
❤️ Arohanui, Arohanui. Wir Lieben Dich Frankie! ❤️🕊
Frank in the Sixties.
Frank Habicht: As It Was collects Habicht’s photos from the 1960s in an opulent book. A unique collection of images of the swinging, groovy, hippie and psychedelic ‘60s in London, it offers an eye-opening contribution to the history of a country that is currently undergoing yet more social transformation. -ARTBOOK
The iconic black-and-white photographs of Hamburg-born photographer Frank Habicht (born 1938) reflect the spirit of the Swinging Sixties in London. In the 1960s, the conservative postwar years in England gave way to a period of upheaval, with a younger generation dreaming of an unconstrained life, one full of free love, peace and harmony. On the streets of the British capital, Habicht began photographing the profound social and political changes that were underway.
Habicht, who has lived in New Zealand since 1981, has produced photographs for many international magazines and newspapers, such as the Guardian, Die Welt, Camera Magazine and Twen. His photographs were recently exhibited at the Barbican in London, and he has made portraits of music and film greats such as Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, Jane Birkin, Christopher Lee and Vanessa Redgrave.
"Looking for what hides behind the human soul, observing the contradictions, absurdities, the abstract, the surreal, the mystical, the frailties, being astounded by life's complexities, juxtaposing and blurring reality and fantasy, capturing togetherness, despair, rebellion, isolation, joy and sadness, surrounded by beauty and drama." - Frank Habicht
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
“As It Was is Habicht’s treasure-chest of the swinging, groovy, hippie, and psychedelic Sixties in London. It offers an eye-opening contribution to the history of a country that is currently undergoing yet more social transformation. This photo book features his iconic work and many images published for the first time.” - Katy Cowan, Creative Boom
“Habicht's practice would take him from protests to private parties, from markets to mansions, from film sets to festivals and back again, as he captured the zeitgeist for magazines around the world.” -Allyssia Alleyne, CNN
“...a new generation of bright young things put the 1960s in full swing. Flush with a freedom, a new style, sound, and attitude swept the world. It was the British Invasion, and Habicht was poised at the centre of the storm.” - Sara Rosen, HUCK
In 1969, Valerie Mendes wrote about Frank Habicht in the renowned Metropolis Magazine: "London without her people would be dead indeed. Habicht finds not the clothes but the men and women who wear them; not the places, but those who live and work within the city. In the contrasting textures of skin and water, trees and hair, soft body curves against metal and stone, he traces an intricate pattern of the London heart and its restlessness."
Live it to the Hilt - Renee, Westminster Bridge, 1968
Frank’s new book AS IT WAS was published by Hatje Cantz and launched at Paris Photo in 2018. It is now available internationally. It is available at leading book stores, art galleries and Amazon.
Habicht immediately fell in love with the lively spirit of his generation, and his photographs captured the distinctions between old traditions and new ideas in the British capital. In the ensuing years, his pictures of this social transformation met with a widespread response.
Peace Protest 1970 with actress Vanessa Redgrave and Madame Lin Qui
Marriage a la Mode
My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold
This became Frank’s favourite photo in recent times, taken during a protest for peace.
The song Permissive Paradise was recorded by The Pleasure Garden to promote the book and was released as a flexi disc single, which accompanied Frank’s Young London book. It has since become a highly sought-after collector's item. More about the story here.
