A very glamorous step back in time: Stunning photos capture Hollywood’s biggest stars during the swinging sixties – from Audrey Hepburn lounging in a pool and playing cricket to Brigitte Bardot relaxing with a cigarette
- Famed photographer Terry O’Neill died in 2019 at his home in London from prostate cancer aged 81
- Now, 110 of his works will be displayed at the Fotografiska gallery in New York from June 2 to September 16
- Curator Johan Vikner says O’Neill had an ‘extraordinary ability to capture fame from the frontlines’
A treasure trove of celebrity portraits are set to go on show in New York, celebrating the work of late British photographer Terry O’Neill.
The curation of 110 works – which will be displayed at the Fotografiska gallery from June 2 to September 16 – spans six decades, with snaps taken from the 1960s through to the 2010s.
Some of the standout shots in the Stars exhibit include Audrey Hepburn playing cricket in 1966 during a break from filming Two For The Road in France, Sean Connery on set as James Bond in 1971 playing golf on ‘the moon’ during the filming of Diamonds Are Forever, and Brigitte Bardot with a cigarette in 1971 taken on the set of Les Petroleuses in Spain.
One of O’Neill’s most famous photographs – depicting the actress Faye Dunaway sitting pool side at The Beverly Hills Hotel at dawn after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 1977 Oscars – will also be on display.
Audrey Hepburn plays cricket on the beach during a break from filming Stanley Donen’s 1967 Two For The Road in 1966
Hepburn pictured enjoying a dip in the South of France during the filming of Two For The Road
Actress Faye Dunaway sits by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles the morning after the Academy Awards ceremony, where she won the Best Actress Oscar for her part in Sidney Lumet’s satirical film Network on March 29, 1977
A young Kate Moss strikes a pose for the camera while wearing a black lace bodysuit in March 1992
Brigitte Bardot in Deauville in 1968 before the filming of Shalako, directed by Edward Dmytryk
Singer and actor Frank Sinatra, with his minders and his stand in (who is wearing an identical outfit to him), arriving at Miami Beach while filming The Lady In Cement in 1968
O’Neill once reflected on the image: ‘I wanted to capture that moment – the morning after – the moment the actor wakes up and it dawns on them that, overnight, they’ve not only just become a star, but also a millionaire. This is that moment of realization.’
The late photographer – who died in 2019 at his home in London from prostate cancer aged 81 – went on to have a a long-term relationship with Dunaway, and the two were married from 1983 to 1987.
The trajectory of Terry O’Neill’s photo practice began in 1960 after he landed the role as a photographer for the English newspaper The Daily Sketch.
At this title, he documented the emergence of British youth culture which eventually led him to photograph for leading publications such as Vogue, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair.
During this time O’Neill came into his own, shooting rock stars to royalty in images that would go on to characterize the ‘Swinging Sixties.’
For several years he accompanied famous musicians backstage on tours including Elton John and David Bowie.
The upcoming exhibition’s earliest work includes fresh-faced and then-emerging names such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
Commenting on O’Neill’s rise to prominence, Johan Vikner, the director of global exhibitions at Fotografiska and one of the exhibition’s organizers, said: ‘O’Neill had his breakthrough as a photographer around the same time as pop culture was exploding in the 1960s and became close to many of these stars before they had become famous.
Elton John holds still while wearing a flamboyant stage outfit complete with feather trim and rhinestone encrusted glasses, circa 1973
An intimate portrait of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger posing in a fur parka in 1964
Brigitte Bardot on the set of Les Petroleuses aka The Legend Of Frenchie King, directed by Christian-Jaque in Spain in 1971
Hollywood legend Judy Garland strikes a tender pose with her daughter, Liza Minnelli, in London in 1964
American actress Goldie Hawn poses in front of a lipstick-red film studio door wearing a suitably matching outfit in 1970
David Bowie and actress Elizabeth Taylor captured as they meet for the first time at George Cukor’s house in Beverly Hills in 1974
A up-close portrait of supermodel Naomi Campbell snapped in 1992
Tom Cruise and Robin Williams captured during the photo shoot for Paramount Studios’ 75th anniversary in 1987
The Rolling Stones pictured outside St. George’s Church in Hanover Square, London, in January 1964. Clockwise from bottom left: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Brian Jones
‘This enabled him to capture not just gorgeous portraits but also closer, more candid photos that showed the human side of things.
‘O’Neill’s natural ability to take candid photographs of subjects in unconventional settings with such breadth remains unmatched.’
Along with shadowing musicians, O’Neill spent a significant amount of time on movie sets enabling him to preciously capture unscripted moments.
One of his running projects was documenting the 007 film franchise through the years.
He shot a number of Bonds including Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig as well as Bond girls such as Jane Seymour and Izabella Scorupco.
O’Neill once mused that ‘the real secret to why [the movie franchise had] been so successful for so many years is that, with each decade, each James Bond, they have really kept up with the times.’
He continued: ‘Sean Connery in the 1960s was cool and classic; he really fits that decade. Roger Moore in the 1970s added more humor; very Cary Grant. In the 1990s, Pierce Brosnan came aboard and added a real style. Then Daniel Craig – he’s the perfect modern Bond.’
Royals, politicians and sports stars were among O’Neill’s other muses.
One of his last major public appearances was in October 2019 when he collected his CBE for services to photography at Buckingham Palace.
On receiving his honor O’Neill, who had been suffering from prostate cancer and was in a wheelchair, said the award ‘surpasses anything I’ve had happen to me in my life.’
Exhibition organizer Vikner says that the Stars exhibit honors O’Neill’s ‘extraordinary ability to capture fame from the frontlines.’
He concludes: ‘No one was able to get as close to the stars as Terry O’Neill. From the 1960s until his death in 2019, he took portraits of countless Hollywood stars, music legends, fashion icons and athletes, earning him the title as one of the world’s most esteemed photographers.
‘Name a global celebrity from the second half of the twentieth century, and chances are that person probably posed for Terry O’Neill’s camera.’
Terry O’Neill: Stars will run from June 2 to September 16 at Fotografiska New York located at 281 Park Avenue South.
Source: Read Full Article
