Frank Horvat, portrait photographer of women, dies aged 92
Frank Horvat, a traveller, observer of fashion and taker of striking portraits of women, has died aged 92. He spent his formative teenage years in Switzerland, where he bought his first camera.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ts
Horvat was born in Abbazia, Italy (present day Opatija, Croatia) to Jewish parents who were doctors. In 1939, at the age of 11, he moved with his parents to the Swiss city of Lugano to escape fascism.
There he discovered and valued Ticino’s cultural diversity, he said in 2010 on winning an award in Lugano.
He continued his studies in Milan and travelled extensively for work, notably to Pakistan, India, Britain, the United States and France, where he settled at the end of the 1950s.
In Paris, where he died, he met French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1950. This meeting encouraged him to undertake a two-year trip to Asia as a freelance photojournalist.
More
More
How Magnum photographers see Switzerland
This content was published on
In 1947, as Europe lay in ruins, like-minded humanist photographers founded in Paris the agency “Magnum Photos”.
By the 1960s he had gained international renown for his fashion photography, which was seen as renewing the genre, with a more realistic and less uptight style.
“I didn’t take pictures of war, misery, suffering or madness – not out of indifference to these misfortunes, but because I feel neither the moral justification nor the physical courage to face such situations as a photographer,” he explained at the time. As for celebrities, “they are not part of my world”, he added.
More
More
Through the lens of Swiss photographer René Burri
This content was published on
Swiss photographer René Burri was known for his portraits of prominent people and places.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.