Photographers

Albert Scopin (born 1943 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) is a German artist and photographer whose career has shifted through multiple distinct phases—photography, film, drawing, painting, and later, large‑scale work with asphalt. Born Albert Schöpflin, he trained in photography in Munich after working as a studio assistant and began his career immersed in the cultural avant‑garde of New York City in the late 1960s.

In 1969 he moved to New York the day after the moon landing, assisting photographers Mikel Avedon and Bill King. During this period he lived and worked in the legendary Chelsea Hotel, forming connections with the Warhol circle, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, and other artists, actors, and musicians of the era. He documented the vibrant cultural underground of the city and co‑founded Yonah Yeend Film, producing experimental films about street theater, graffiti, and emerging video art.

Returning to Germany in the mid‑1970s, Scopin established a photography studio in Frankfurt, producing editorial and commercial work while simultaneously exploring the boundaries of photographic expression. In the 1980s he expanded his practice to drawing and painting, eventually leaving professional photography altogether in 1988. This marked a transition toward introspective and expressive works he often referred to as “soul drawings,” reflecting a deeply personal, psychological dimension.

After changing his name from Schöpflin to Scopin, he continued to evolve artistically. In 2012 he began working with asphalt as a primary material, creating meditative, large‑scale abstract works defined by texture, physicality, and the interplay of darkness and light. These pieces reflect his interest in materiality and the expressive potential of non‑traditional mediums. Scopin’s work has been exhibited internationally, and he continues to be recognized for his multidimensional career spanning photography, film, and contemporary art.