Lukas Beck

Lukas Beck is an Austrian photographer who specialises in music and theatre.

Life and work He has contributed to virtually all Austrian newspapers and magazines, as well as international papers, such as Die Zeit or The New York Times.

Beck was born in 1967, and educated at the University of Vienna, where he read ethnology. His pictures, in a style all of their own, show a keen eye for detail, colour and light. His work has been shown in Vienna's Leopold Museum, the Westlicht Gallery and the Palais Coburg. Beck has published photo books on various subjects, and has created CD covers and posters. His work has had a deep impact on Austrian photography.

Beck's main focus is man and human nature. His often stunning colour portraits reveal a deep compassion and fondness for his subjects. He has portrayed, among others, the musicians Willi Resetarits and Hans Söllner, actors Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lee, singers Elina Garanca and Edita Gruberova, crime novelist Wolf Haas and a number of Austrian and international high-profile politicians, such as Mohamed ElBaradei.

In 1999, Beck was hired by the Vienna Boys' Choir to help change the choir's image; his unusual photos show the boys as living, breathing youngsters and display an unbridled sense of fun. In 2004, Beck published a photo book on the famous Austrian choir. Since 2003, he has been teaching photography at the ORF (=Austrian National Radio) summer academy.

In 2024, he launched the project ‘ONE HOUR WITH’, in which he photographs artists for an hour without speaking to them.

Books Beck (1993), Ostbahnkurti und die "Chefpartie", Edition Tau Beck (2002), Räume in Bewegung, Springer Wien New York Beck (2003), Luxus Shopping Guide – Vienna, EchoVerlag Wien Beck (2004), Kurt Ostbahn und die Combo, NP Verlag St. Pölten Beck (2004), Wiener Sängerknaben, NP Verlag St. Pölten Beck (2004), Wien, Tradition und Moderne, Schmid Verlag Wien Beck (2006), Hans Söllner – Bilderbuch, Trikont München Beck (2008), Revanche 2008 Substance Media Wien Beck (2010), Ausgezeichnetes Wien in 50 Portraits, Ueberreuter Verlag Beck (2011), Leben im Zoo, Echomedia Beck (2012), liebe grenzenlos, echomedia, 2012 /> Beck (2012), Filmgespraeche, Synema Beck (2015), Stadtmenschen, Picus Beck (2015), Das soziale Gesicht Europas, Falter Verlag Beck (2020), Wien pur, Echomedia Beck (2021), WienBlick x2 - Mit Handy & Hasselblad, Echomedia

Movies 2008: Be A Mensch, ORF 2008: MoZuluArt, Universal 2010: Faltenradio live, Hoanzl 2013: Schönbrunner Tiergeschichten - Leben im Zoo, Universum Doku, ORF 2015: Mehrstimmig - Die Wiener Sängerknaben, Doku, ORF 2016: Still, Doku, ORF

Solo exhibitions 1993: OstbahnKurti und die Chefpartie, Vindobona Wien 1995: AugenBlick, Donaufestival Krems 2002: Gehört gesehen Westlicht Wien 2004: Wiener Sängerknaben, Palais Coburg Wien 2004: Wien, Tradition und Moderne, Leopold Museum Wien 2008: Fußballkäfig international, Galerie Urbanart Wien 2015: "Protest", WAK Wien 2018: "Beckstage", Theater am Spittelberg Wien 2018: "Sie sollen nicht sagen können, sie hätten von nichts gewußt", Rotor Graz 2018: "Best of Lukas Beck", Messe Congress Wien 2021: "Wien pur", Galerie Lukas Feichtner

Awards 2003: Österreichischer Zeitschriftenpreis 2009: Lichtfarben 2009. Österreichischer Preis für interkulturelle Pressefotografie 2013: Matsalu Nature Film Festival, Special Prizes of the Tallinn Zoo 2014: International Independent Film Awards, Gold Award for Cinematography 2018: Goldene Gesellschaftsmedaille der Photographischen Gesellschaft