Famous portrait of Muhammad Ali: German Magnum photographer Thomas Hoepker dies

Photo of author

By Pinang Driod

World famous German photographer Thomas Hoepker is dead. He died peacefully at the age of 88, just like he did Magnum Photo Agency announced. Hoepker was the author of some of the most famous photographs of the past decades. His iconic shot led to controversy September 11, 2001 out: You see a seemingly relaxed group of young people sitting together in front of the blue East River in New York City. Behind them in Manhattan, thick clouds of smoke rise into the sky after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Hoepker kept the September 11 photo hidden for years. It was not published until 2006. The New York Times wrote: “Mr. Hoepker’s photo is prescient and important – a snapshot of an approaching historic moment.”

Other well-known photographs by Hoepker included the portraits he made of the boxer Mohammed Ali made: Ali with his fist very close to the lens, jumping in front of a skyline or eating ice cream in bed. He also photographed the artist Roy Lichtenstein.

Hoepker was born in Munich in 1936. He studied art, history and archaeology. However, his passion was photography since his grandfather bought him a camera for his 14th birthday. Before the end of his studies he was hired by the Munich magazine discontinued and switched to the magazine in 1964 star.

The photographer as author

At the same time, he joined the renowned photo agency Magnum. From 2003 to 2006, he was chairman. In 1976, Hoepker moved to New York City, where he worked as a visual director for the magazine Geo worked. His paintings have been exhibited all over the world. The documentary was released in 2022 Dear memoriesin which the Alzheimer Hoepker was making a final road trip through the US when he fell ill.

As a photographer, he also saw himself as an author, as Hoepker said in a 2007 interview with the dpa press agency: “You also have to convey your opinion and not just compose it beautifully,” he said at the time. The photographer must “not only capture and record what happens, but also develop an opinion about his subject. You either hate it or you love it, but lukewarm is always uninteresting.”

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