Biography
Platon is one of the world’s most renowned portrait photographers and has photographed more world leaders than anyone else in history, among them six American presidents. He has photographed over 30 covers for Time magazine, including Vladimir Putin for its 2008 Person of the Year cover, which was awarded first prize at the World Press Photo Contest, and Donald J. Trump for its 2024 Person of the Year cover. As staff photographer for the New Yorker, he won a Peabody Award and two National Magazine Awards. He has published four books with subjects ranging from the power of world leaders to the dignity of those who serve in the US military. In 2013, Platon founded The People’s Portfolio, a non-profit foundation dedicated to celebrating emerging global leaders in human and civil rights. The People’s Portfolio creates a visual language that breaks barriers, embraces dignity, fights discrimination, and enlists the public to support human rights around the world. Platon serves on the board for Arts and Culture at the World Economic Forum. His work is the subject of one episode of the Netflix documentary series Abstract: The Art of Design. His first film, My Body Is Not a Weapon, features survivors of wartime sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege. In 2020, Platon’s archive of prominent African American civil rights and cultural leaders was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution.
