One of the most distinguished photographers of the twentieth century. Cecil Beaton is renowned for his portraits of well-known faces from the worlds of fashion, literature and film. His legacy continues through the works of such contemporary photographers as Johnnie Shand Kydd, David Bailey and Marion Testino.
Beaton's talents were multi-faceted. He was an accomplished illustrator, painter, writer and diarist and in addition designed sets and costumes for film, theatre and opera. However, it was as a photographer that Beaton displayed real genius. For many years he was a major contributor to 'Vogue' in London, Paris, and New York. His long and varied career and his ability to attune himself to changing fashions enabled him to capture a diverse range of subjects on camera, from the Sitwells to the Rolling Stones, from Salvador Dali to Francis Bacon, from Audrey Hepburn to Marilyn Monroe.
Peter Conrad's incisive essay unpeels the complex layers of Beaton's photographic work, and is supported by sumptuous full-page plates, including Beaton's self-portratis and previously unseen photographs. This new and extensive retrospective celebrates the remarkable life and achievements of this avant-garde, yet quintessential, Englishman whose flamboyant sense of style marks him as one of the most important photographers of recent history.
This sumptuously illustrated book features an illustrated essay discussing the wide range of the photographer's career as well as a portfolio of 160 beautiful reproductions of his most famous portraits and an extended illustrated chronology.
'Beaton Portraits' is an exciting and comprehensive look at a tour-de-force photographer and is an essential book for anyone interested in photography, fashion, or twentieth-century style and design.
