Ruvén Afanador

Ruvén Afanador
Born1959 (age 65–66)
Bucaramanga, Colombia
OccupationPhotographer
Known for
PartnerEdward Bess[1]
Websiteruvenafanador.com

Ruvén Afanador (sometimes spelled Ruven Afanador;[2] born 1959, Bucaramanga, Colombia)[3] is a Colombian-American photographer known for fashion photography and celebrity portraits. His work has appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times Magazine, and he has photographed subjects including Jennifer Aniston, Bill Clinton, and Rihanna.[3][4][5]

Afanador has also created acclaimed monographs documenting Spanish flamenco culture and Colombian indigenous communities.[4][6]

Early life and education

Afanador was born to Isabel Peña de Afanador, a teacher, and Ernesto Afanador, a watchmaker and antique collector.[7] He has three sisters.[8] The family belonged to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[9]

In 1972, when Afanador was 14, his family immigrated to the United States, first settling in Harbor Springs, Michigan before moving to Maryland.[3][5][10] Born Rubén, he changed his name to Ruvén for easier pronunciation.[11]

Afanador studied fine arts with a concentration in sculpture and graphic design.[4][12] He delayed taking a required photography class until his final year.[4][5] After his first photography assignment, he saw the film The Eyes of Laura Mars and concentrated on fashion photography.[5]

Career

Afanador brings historical reference into his images, and his work is influenced by classical painting and the early era of photography.[4] Classical dance has been a consistent influence throughout his work.[4]

Fashion and portrait photography

Afanador's work has appeared in American Elle, Esquire, GQ, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and American and French Vogue.[4][6][13]

He has photographed numerous celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Bill Clinton, Diane Keaton, Rossy de Palma, Robert Redford, Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey, and the Duchess of Alba.[3][5]

Afanador photographed the cover of Tina Fey's 2011 memoir Bossypants.[14] He also shot the album covers for Gerald Levert's Groove On (1994), Diana Ross's Take Me Higher, Lenny Kravitz's Circus (both 1995), Tweet's Southern Hummingbird (2002), and Amel Larrieux's Lovely Standards (2007), and directed the music videos for Kravitz's "Rock and Roll Is Dead" and "Circus",[15] and Qkumba Zoo's "The Child (Inside)"[16] (all 1995).

Monographs

Torero

Afanador's first book, Torero (2001), is a collection of portraits of aspiring bullfighters in his native Colombia,[6][17] during various stages of preparation for the corrida.[6] The book subverts conventional bullfighting iconography, focusing on the ritualistic aspects of the sport and the details of clothing and costumes.[6]

Sombra

His second book, Sombra, released in June 2004, is of classical dancers.[4][17] The models in Sombra wore body makeup to appear sun-weathered.[1] Afanador's future partner, Edward Bess, appears in the book as a "faun-like creature".[1]

Mil besos

Mil besos (2009) was conceived to celebrate women.[18] The monograph features gypsy women of flamenco, photographed over two and a half years in Andalusia.[5][18]

Ángel gitano

Ángel gitano: The Men of Flamenco is of male flamenco dancers photographed against stark white backgrounds.[5][19] The subjects were men of all types, variously styled with oversized mustaches, flowing dresses, thick black eye makeup, or simply nude.[19][20] The images were captured in the Andalusia region of southern Spain.[20] A documentary titled Ángeles gitanos was created as a making-of for the book.[13]

Hijas del agua

Hijas del agua (2018) was created in collaboration with artist Ana González.[21] To make portraits of women, men, and children from Colombia's indigenous communities, including the Wayuu, Guna-Dule, Misak, and Arhuaco peoples,[21][5] the artists traveled through mountains and jungle, and González embroidered flowers onto Afanador's photographs, printed on various materials.[21]

Personal life

Afanador's partner is makeup artist and fragrance creator Edward Bess.[1]

Accolades

Publications

  • Torero (2001). Prologue by Héctor Abad Faciolince.[13] Zurich: Edition Stemmle. ISBN 978-3-908163-48-0[4][6]
  • Sombra (2004). Prologue by Jean-Paul Gaultier. London: Merrell Publishers. ISBN 978-1-85894-249-0[4][17]
  • Mil besos (2009). New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-3339-9[5]
  • Ángel gitano: The Men of Flamenco (2014). New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-4343-5[5][19]
  • Hijas del agua (2020). With Ana González Rojas. Bogotá: Ediciones Gamma. ISBN 978-958-7420-78-4[5][21]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Stover, Laren (20 March 2017). "Meet the 'A' List Makeup Guru Edward Bess". Observer.
  2. ^ "Ruven Afanador". Fahey Klein Gallery.
  3. ^ a b c d Pantaleoni, Ana (7 February 2015). "Ruven Afanador, un fotógrafo sin cámara" [Ruven Afanador, a Photographer Without a Camera]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid. p. 50.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Slane, Marcy (July–August 2004). "Ruven Afanador Captures the Delicate Qualities of Man, Using Classical Art as His Influence". Step. pp. 64–65.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Aguilar, Andrea (20 February 2024). "Ruven Afanador: 'Cuando tomas una foto lo ves todo de quien posa'" [When You Take a Photo You See Everything About Who Poses]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Foster, David William (2006). "Toreros de moda: La fotografia de Ruven Afanador" [Fashionable Bullfighters: The Photography of Ruven Afanador] (PDF). Revista de estudios Colombianos (in Spanish) (29): 7–11. ISSN 0121-2117.
  7. ^ Restrepo Pombo 2012, pp. 220–221.
  8. ^ Restrepo Pombo 2012, pp. 201–202.
  9. ^ Restrepo Pombo 2012, pp. 200–201.
  10. ^ Restrepo Pombo 2012, p. 202.
  11. ^ Restrepo Pombo 2012, p. 211.
  12. ^ Restrepo Pombo 2012, pp. 202–203.
  13. ^ a b c Palomino, Sally (30 September 2015). "Ruven Afanador, el fotógrafo colombiano al que Gabo intimidó" [Ruven Afanador, the Colombian Photographer Who Was Intimidated by Gabo]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid. p. 24.
  14. ^ Semigran, Aly (18 December 2011). "Best of 2011 (Behind the Scenes): 'Bossypants' Cover Photographer Ruven Afanador". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Lenny Kravitz: Circus (Music Video) (1995)". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  16. ^ "The Child (Inside) (1996) by Qkumba Zoo". IMVDb.com. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  17. ^ a b c Underwood, Paul L. (8 October 2006). "Contributors". The New York Times Magazine. p. 40.
  18. ^ a b Wender, Jessie (19 July 2011). "Mil Besos: Ruven Afanador's Women of Flamenco". The New Yorker. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  19. ^ a b c Moses, Jeanette D. (2014). "Ruven Afanador's Captivating Portraits of the Men of Flamenco". PopPhoto.
  20. ^ a b Gelt, Jessica (6 June 2015). "Ruven Afanador's Photos at Fahey/Klein Capture Emotion of Flamenco Dancers". Los Angeles Times.
  21. ^ a b c d Iglesias S., Brenda U. (January–June 2021). "Sobre la memoria y el olvido en el arte contemporáneo latinoamericano: un montaje dialéctico más allá de lo visible" [On Memory and Oblivion in Contemporary Latin American Art: A Dialectic Montage Beyond the Visible]. Cuadernos de Música, Artes Visuales y Artes Escénicas (in Spanish). 16 (1): 38–59. doi:10.11144/javeriana.mavae16-1.slye.
  22. ^ Restrepo Pombo 2012, p. 217.
  23. ^ "Mil Besos". Centro Andaluz de la Fotografía (in Spanish). Junta de Andalucía. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  24. ^ "National Portrait Gallery Announces "Portrait of a Nation: 2022 Honorees," Exhibition of Newly Commissioned Portraits, to Open Nov. 10". Smithsonian Institution. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  25. ^ "Afanador, la premiada producción del Ballet Nacional de España" [Afanador, the Award-winning Production of the Ballet Nacional de España]. Ballet Nacional de España (in Spanish). 17 June 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.

Works cited

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