Szilveszter Makó (, ; born 1992) is a Hungarian fashion photographer and director based in Milan, Italy, who rose to prominence for his distinctive illustrative, theatrical, and surrealist style of photography. He has been called "a revolutionary" and his work, "a glimmer of hope".
Early life and education Makó was born in 1992 in Miskolc, Hungary, and grew up in the nearby town of Lillafüred. In childhood he received an unconventional education centered around the creation of arts and crafts and learning languages like Ancient Greek and Latin. He first used photography as a medium in a secondary school academic competition around 2007. At the same time he began experimenting with emo hairstyles and photographing each finished style.
Around 2013, Makó graduated from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. He moved shortly afterwards to Milan, Italy, where he has lived since.
Career In 2023, Makó photographed actor Willem Dafoe for the cover of GQ Italia, with the actor wearing a headpiece inspired from Makó's Farsang outfit as a kid; it became his first recurring theme in photoshoots, with variations thereof featuring Cate Blanchett and Gwendoline Christie.
The January 2026 covershoot of Elle Fanning for Who What Wear went viral across social media. Then, following the appointment of Zohran Mamdani to the position of Mayor of New York City in 2026, Makó photographed Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji for The Cut. The Michigan Daily, stated that the shoot captured Duwaji "in moments of stillness and strength...allowing power to appear softened rather than diminished. Her presence reads as deliberate and political". Continuing into 2026, photoshoots with Anya Taylor-Joy (for L'Officiel) and Rihanna (for 72) went viral across social media.
In September 2026, Makó had a six-room installation during New York Fashion Week, titled "Bauhaus Ballet" and featuring portraits of Gwendoline Christie and Adrien Brody.
Makó has created photoshoots for 032c, Dazed, GQ China, GQ Italia, Harper's Bazaar Italia, L'Officiel Ukraine, L'Officiel USA, L'Officiel Vietnam, Numéro, Numéro Homme, Numéro Netherlands, Numéro Russia, Vanity Fair, Vogue Arabia, Vogue China, Vogue Czechoslovakia, Vogue Hong Kong, Vogue Portugal, W China, WWD, shot campaigns for Adidas, Ami Paris, Maison Margiela, Trussardi, and Zara.
Influences His work is said to be a mix of surrealism, daguerrotypes, theatre, German expressionism, and the Renaissance period. Specifically evoking the textures of Renaissance art, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine. Makó states that the Renaissance period is not his reference point, but admits there are undeniable overlaps. Stating that his influences are "broader and darker". As an embodiment of mid-century fine art, "complemented by the surreal and grotesque visual language of the early 20th century", shaped by chiaroscuro. Makó has stated that he is "conservative in taste". Growing up surrounded by the conservative disciplinary restrictions and rules of his grandparents with Soviet values deeply instilled in him, living among "a routine rhythm of labor and factories, built upon coal, dust, and bare brick walls". He approaches retouching with "a sense of ancient Greek idealization". Beaux Arts attributed his Elle Fanning covershoot for Who What Wear to be "fabulously Dada".
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