Peter Kovál
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Kovál, also spelled Peter Koval, is a professional photographer.
The only son of poor European immigrant parents – his father a holocaust survivor, and his mother a seamstress working in a sweatshop – Peter Kovál grew up in a rough working class neighborhood. He was given a manual 35mm SLR camera and an instruction book at the age of 12 and began to photograph his surroundings. He processed, developed and printed his work himself in a tiny makeshift ‘closet darkroom’ with the aid of a stolen enlarger.
Awarded a full scholarship from the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute he graduated with a fine arts degree in photography. During that time his work was exhibited in numerous galleries, and had gained national recognition.
His images appear in international magazines and billboards including Harper's Bazaar, Vogue China, Götland Vodka, Ocean Drive, Cosmopolitan and numerous others.
He currently resides in New York City.
Peter Kovál has also made television appearances. His first appearance was on Sex and The City as an extra; coincidentally he played a photographer. Later that year he was on stage with rapper Eminem in the 2003 live performance of the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall. He played a background performer during Eminem's songs, 'White America', and 'Cleaning Out My Closet'.