Iconic New Zealand Photographer Frank Habicht Has Died Aged 86

The photographer is responsible for some of the most legendary images taken of 1960s icons, from The Beatles to Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg and more.

Frank Habicht, the New Zealand photographer who documented the changing spirit of a generation during the 1960s, passed away peacefully last week at Kawakawa Hospital aged 86 after battling illness for the past three years.

In a fitting tribute from his sons Florian and Sebastian and his wife of 55 years, Christine, the family honoured Habicht’s passion for photography.

“Frank has now set sail for unknown shores, but the essence of his work will live on forever in the images that defined a generation” reads the tribute.

“Frank’s ability to immortalise moments and capture the souls of his subjects made him a renowned figure in the world of photography. One of his most iconic works, Lost in a Dream – a tender portrait of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg in 1969 – has been praised as one of the most beautiful photographs of the couple ever taken.”

Florian Habicht – known for his films Spookers (2017) and James & Isey (2021) - said his father’s influence on culture has helped shape a generation. Frank had starring roles in his film Love Story (2011) and a cameo role in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s 2014 mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. Frank’s final published work, As It Was (Hatje Cantz 2018), edited by Florian, became a poignant reflection on his life in London during the 1960s.

“My father would treat street children the same as he would treat the Rolling Stones, and vice versa, when taking photographs,” says Florian. “Celebrities really responded to that, and often invited him to stay with them for the weekend.”

As a native of Hamburg, Germany in 1938, Habicht began taking photos in the 60s as a student of the Hamburg School of Photography before going on to work for a range of publications across Europe including Esquire, The Sunday Times, Metropolis and the progressive post-war teen mag Twen.

Known for capturing and documenting the significant cultural changes occurring in that period, Habicht’s subjects include everyone from Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones to Roman Polanski, Charles Aznavour and Vanessa Redgrave, the latter captured in another important photograph entitled War is Not Healthy for Children and Other Living Things (1970), featuring Redgrave and Madame Lin Qui at a peace protest.

His 1969 book Young London: Permissive Paradise (published by George G. Harrap & Co Ltd) is considered a rare collector’s item and is held in prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Habicht settled in the Bay of Islands in 1981 where he devoted much of his time to photographing the local communities and landscapes, images collected in the book Bay of Islands: Where the Sunday Grass is Greener and Bay of Islands: A Paradise Found. From Dame Whina Cooper to Fredrick Hundertwasser, the subjects of his adopted home were integral figures of the community.

Prior to his death, the family also shared some of Habicht’s reflections, including a heartfelt tribute to his wife Christine.

“The quirky girl in this photo (above) happens to be my dear wife Christine. We met at a New Year’s party in London on December 31, 1969, on the very last day of the sixties. Since then it has been an everlasting love affair.”

The family also state in their obituary that “some of Frank’s final thoughts on the eve of his death was the absurdity of war, followed by an expression of childlike joy, that he will never have to go to the dentist ever ever again”.

Habicht was also deeply guided by the Sioux Native American quote that helped shape his philosophy on life and his work.

“With all beings and all things, we shall be as relatives.”

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