Artist: Robert Astley Sparke
 
"Pharrell Williams", C-Type Print
Sao Paulo, Brazil 2011 
 
30"x 40", Edition of 10
20"x24", Edition of 25
16"x20", Edition of 25
12"x16", Edition of 50

Robert Astley-Sparke’s journey into photography began at 14, when a school camera opened the door to image-making and darkroom experimentation. Drawn to the visual worlds of fashion and music magazines, he developed a deep interest in fashion.

 

At 16, and after several determined attempts, he secured a position at Vivienne Westwood’s iconic World’s End store on King’s Road, a cornerstone of punk-era fashion and one of London’s most influential style spaces. After a period of traveling, he later joined Browns, the renowned boutique known for launching cutting-edge designers. He moved from sales into buying and, by 23, was attending major fashion shows across Europe. 

 

During this time, he began shooting test photos with Browns’ clothing on weekends. His images caught the eye of magazines like Dazed and Confused, and his first published portrait was of Alexander McQueen. That marked the beginning of his transition into photography, where fashion and image-making naturally converged.

 

In 2001, Robert received a call from Isabella Blow, leading to his first commission for Tatler: a 21-page editorial shot in Naples. This marked the beginning of a growing career, with work soon appearing in GQ, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and a 16-page feature for Elle magazine shot in Rio de Janeiro.

 

As the industry evolved, fashion and music began to merge more naturally, and Robert was in the right place at the right time to capture the creative energy of both worlds. He collaborated closely with record labels such as Interscope, photographing internationally renowned musicians, while simultaneously working with leading fashion magazines on striking editorial shoots. This intersection became the defining space for his artistic voice that ultimately earned him the New York Art Directors Award for best photography, 

together with Issey Miyake’s creative director, Hideki Nakajima. 

 

His diverse portfolio includes portraits of cultural icons and influencers such as Alessandra Ambrosio, Anitta, Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry, Cara Delevingne, Coldplay, Colin Firth, David Guetta, Dennis Hopper, Donatella Versace, Eddie Redmayne, Eva Green, Eva Herzigova, Florence Welch, Giorgio Armani, Jade Jagger, Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Karl Lagerfeld, Lenny Kravitz, Lily Collins, Marc Newson, Mark Ronson, Mary J. Blige, Michelle Yeoh, Mick Jagger, Monica Bellucci, Naomi Campbell, Natalia Vodianova, Pete Tong, Pete Townshend, Pharrell Williams, Prince, Quincy Jones, Robert De Niro, Ronnie Wood, Simon de Pury, Sophia Loren, The Black Eyed Peas, Victoria Beckham, will.i.am, and Yohji Yamamoto.

 

His gift for always locating the action led him to Brazil, just as international artists and fashion magazines turned their focus to the country’s creative scene. He quickly established himself and helped shape the visual identity of Brazil’s growing market. 

 

Back in London, Robert developed a strong interest in digital art and film, using it to explore abstract beauty in everyday environments. He collaborated with brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christie’s, serving as a visual partner on projects that merged artistic expression with brand storytelling.

 

This evolution in his practice culminated in a recent film commissioned by Ōphélia, spotlighting the groundbreaking work of the Champalimaud Foundation, one of the gallery’s key philanthropic beneficiaries.

 

Philanthropic work through art is not new territory for Robert. In 2018, a series of his signed portraits of Pharrell Williams was auctioned at the San Francisco home of Ann and Gordon Getty, raising $60,000 for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). His solo exhibition at Phillips in New York emerged from a humanitarian project for the United Nations, developed in collaboration with June Sarpong. The show featured portraits of six individuals from six different countries, captured as part of an accompanying journalistic piece.

 

Now back where it all started, Robert is fully dedicated to portraiture as a celebration of beauty and authenticity. His work carries a raw, rock-and-roll energy, a flash of spontaneity and emotion, capturing moments that feel both fleeting and timeless.

 

He returns, again and again, to the same impulse: to seize the exact moment where he feels most connected to himself and to the person in front of the lens. It is not about perfection; it is about presence. Robert is not a studio-based photographer. He lives for the moment, and for the trust that allows something real to emerge.

 

His practice has moved beyond commercial fashion into a more personal, artistic space,  blending high-end aesthetics with a documentary eye. His portraits aim to reclaim photography as a form of visual truth and to capture the substance of the human spirit in an unrepeatable moment through his lens.