Albert Watson releases career-spanning photo monograph

Scottish photographer Albert Watson is releasing Kaos, a 400-page retrospective published by Taschen on November 28, showcasing 50 years of his iconic celebrity portraits, landscapes, and fashion photographynumero.

The 83-year-old photographer presents the monograph in an unconventional “Instagram feed” format without chronological order, featuring legendary portraits including Steve Jobs, Andy Warhol, and Alfred Hitchcock, whom he first photographed for Harper’s Bazaar in 1973numero.

The book’s release coincides with Watson’s exhibition “Kaos II” at A. Galerie in Paris running until December 20, 2025, and includes an essay by former Christie’s photographs head Philippe Garnernumero.

Albert Watson Unveils Career-Spanning Photography Monograph and Paris Exhibition

Renowned Scottish photographer Albert Watson is releasing “Kaos,” a 400-page retrospective of his five-decade career, on November 28 through publisher Taschen. The monograph coincides with an exhibition titled “Kaos II” at A. Galerie in Paris, which opened November 10 and runs through December 20.numero

A Kaleidoscopic Overview of 50 Years

The book presents Watson’s work in an unconventional format, deliberately eschewing chronological order or thematic grouping in favor of what the 83-year-old photographer describes as an “Instagram feed” approach. The multilingual edition features Watson’s iconic celebrity portraits—including Steve Jobs, Andy Warhol, Alfred Hitchcock, Mick Jagger, and Kate Moss—alongside landscapes of his native Scotland, fashion photography, and recent work from Rome.numero

Watson’s 2006 portrait of Steve Jobs, which appeared on the cover of Walter Isaacson’s biography and on Apple’s homepage following Jobs’ death, remains one of his most recognizable images. The shoot, originally scheduled for an hour, took just 20 minutes. Jobs later called it “maybe the best picture ever taken of me”.digitalsynopsis

From Hitchcock to International Acclaim

Watson’s breakthrough came in 1973 with his portrait of Alfred Hitchcock holding a plucked goose for Harper’s Bazaar’s Christmas edition. Born in Edinburgh in 1942 and blind in one eye since birth, Watson studied graphic design and film before moving to the United States in 1970. His career has since earned him over 100 Vogue covers worldwide, a Grammy Award in 1975, and an Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II in 2015.numero

The “Kaos” book includes an essay by Philippe Garner, former head of photographs at Christie’s, extensive quotes from Watson, and dozens of previously unpublished Polaroids from the photographer’s personal archives. Photo District News has named Watson one of the 20 most influential photographers of all time, alongside Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.taschen