MARKUS KLINKO ONCE described himself as “the James Bond of fashion photography,” and there’s a bit of truth in that quote. Born in Switzerland of French, Italian, Jewish, and Hungarian ancestry, and blessed with a sinewy physique and charming demeanor, this international man behind the lens has landed in Houston for ICONS KLINKO, an eye-popping exhibit of phantasmagoric photos of such superstars as David Bowie, Britney Spears, and Mariah Carey, opening this weekend at Nicole Longnecker Gallery.

These days, Klinko describes himself as a portrait artist, and aspires to make a historical impact on the art world. “Klinko’s photographs have a wonderful iridescent quality that is both painterly and narrative,” says Longnecker. “His images capture not only the form of the subject, but their own creative essence.”

In his earlier years, Klinko was a concert classical harpist, practicing 10 hours daily to keep up his technique. “I reached my dream,” says Klinko, “but I was also mentally very tired.” In 1994, at age 33, a thumb injury compelled him to retire from music and pursue a new chapter in life as a self-taught photographer.

Klinko’s ‘Britney, the Forest’

Before then, Klinko had never picked up a camera, and yet he soon found himself shooting some of the most beautiful people on the planet, including a then-21-year-old singer named Beyoncé, who needed a cover shot for her debut album, Dangerously In Love. During…