Armin Hagen Freiherr von Hoyningen-Huene is a German-American photographer, artist, filmmaker, clothing designer/sewer and model best known by his stage name Peter Berlin. In the early to mid-1970s. His two films, Nights in Black Leather and That Boy helped bring gay male erotic films artistic legitimacy.
Berlin designed and sewed all of his clothing without a pattern. He also was a painter and illustrator. He began photographing himself in erotic poses and making skin-tight clothes to wear as he cruised the parks and train stations of Berlin, and the streets of Rome, Paris, New York and San Francisco, many of his designs now seen in the fashion works of such international designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier.
Filmmaking and celebrity
In the early 1970s, Berlin moved to San Francisco and became a fixture on the streets with his highly suggestive clothing and constant cruising. He collaborated with friend Richard Abel on a 16 mm hard-core porn film entitled Nights in Black Leather in which he played the lead role. Berlin's poster for the film helped make Nights in Black Leather an underground hit. As a follow-up, Berlin directed, produced, wrote, and starred in That Boy. He also made four short films in the mid- to late-1970s, which were primarily sold as 8 mm "loops" by mail order. His self-portraits were published and sold. He was also the subject of several Robert Mapplethorpe photographs, five drawings by Tom of Finland, and at least one photograph by Andy Warhol. Two Robert Mapplethorpe Polaroid images of Berlin can be seen in the 2008 book, Mapplethorpe: Polaroids, and the Whitney Museum of American Art exhibition of the same name. Some of his famous friends were Salvador and Gala Dali, Warhol, New York fashion designer Koos, and painter Jochen Labriola. He was acquainted with ballet dancerRudolf Nureyev.
Photography
Berlin's photographs and artwork have been exhibited around the world, including the exhibition "Split/Vision", curated by Mapplethorpe, and in the exhibition "Berlin on Berlin" at the Leslie Lohman Gallery in New York. Although he retreated from the limelight in the 1980s, he continues to make videos of himself and lives quietly in San Francisco, where he is still frequently recognized on the streets. He was trained in Germany as a photo technician in the 1960s.
Comeback
In 2005, filmmaker and writer Jim Tushinski directed and co-produced, the feature-length documentary , which began a resurgence of interest in Berlin's works. The documentary premiered at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival and garnered several awards at film festivals worldwide, reconnecting Berlin with his older fans and introducing him to a new generation. In 2006, Berlin launched a web site devoted to his work.
