Michel Alfred Comte (born 19 February 1954) is a Swiss artist, filmmaker, fashion and portrait photographer. His most recent art project 'Light', focuses on the impact of environmental decline through his large-scale installations, paintings, sculptures and multimedia artworks.
Away from the high-gloss magazines and his campaigns for luxury brands, Comte kept himself grounded by taking on photo assignments for the International Red Cross (ICRC) in war-ravaged regions like Bosnia, Angola, Rwanda and Somalia. His work with the ICRC contributed to fundraising efforts to build an orthopaedic hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan and helped raise awareness and money for victims of conflict.
A passionate mountain climber and aviator, Comte began investigating climate change as a student and has had the unprecedented opportunity to observe and portray glacial landscapes all over the world. Two decades ago, Comte decided to wind down most of his activities as a commercial photographer to focus on Light, his most recent art project. Light is the study of natural landscapes and explores the impact of environmental changes via sculpture, paintings, installations and photography.
Comte was born 19 February 1954, in Zürich, Switzerland, the only child of Alfred Heinrich Comte (1926-2022) and Sylvia Maria Comte (née Boetschi; 1928-2015).[1] His paternal grandfather was Swiss aviation pioneer Alfred Comte who co-founded Swissair.[2][3] His father was a field sales representative and later board member of his photo studio Michel Comte SA.[4] Beginning with his grandfather, the family frequented Kronenhalle restaurant in Zürich, on a regular basis.[5]
He studied in England and in France, then started his career in contemporary art restoration, specializing in the works of Andy Warhol and Yves Klein. He was interested in photography and when moving to Paris in 1979, he was discovered by Karl Lagerfeld, who gave him first international assignment for the fashion house of Chloe. Comte then started working for such publications as Vogue US, Vogue Italia, Per Lui, Vanity Fair, and fashion houses such as Emanuel Ungaro, Chanel, Giorgio Armani and so on.
Comte directed and produced his first feature film in 3D, The Girl from Nagasaki, retelling of the classic opera, Madame Butterfly, in which Puccini's tragic heroine, emerging from the ashes of the atomic bomb, begins her fateful story of obsession for an American pilot.
Personal life
After living in Milan and Paris, Comte relocated to New York City in 1981. In 1986, he married Dominique Kamber, a photo model.[6] They divorced in 1997.[7] They had two sons;
Diederik Comte (born 1987), a photographer
Brandon Oliver Comte (born 1993)
In September 2007, Comte met Japanese-born model, stylist, costume designer and filmmaker Ayako Yoshida (born 1983), whom he married in April of 2008.[8] They have been living in Bel Air, Los Angeles in California for over ten years before relocating back Switzerland.[9]
