Slim AaronsSlim Aarons Poolside Glamour At The Kaufmann Desert House In Palm Springs1974
1974
About the Item
- Creator:Slim Aarons (1916-2006, American)
- Creation Year:1974
- Dimensions:Height: 14.25 in (36.2 cm)Width: 21.38 in (54.31 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Bristol, CT
- Reference Number:
Slim Aarons
American photographer Slim Aarons captured the 20th century’s international jet set — U.S. socialites, European royalty, Hollywood stars — at play in sun-kissed locales like Monaco, Saint-Tropez and Palm Beach, as well as other luxurious settings around the globe.
Committed to eschewing makeup and artificial lighting, Aarons created images that are at once candid and polished, combining the relaxed posture of his subjects, who trusted him to document their lives, with the visual sharpness of a seasoned art director. Having gotten his start taking pictures for the U.S. military magazine Yank during World War II, he contributed over the course of his career to Life, Town and Country and Holiday magazines and published several books.
Aarons was born in Manhattan in 1916. He joined the army at 18, shooting military maneuvers at West Point before serving as a combat photographer, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. After the war, he moved to California and began snapping socialites and movie stars.
In the 1950s, Aarons opened a bureau for Life magazine in Rome, where he took pictures capturing the postwar scene. He was always able to win the trust of his elite subjects, who saw him as close to a peer, rather than a paparazzo.
In a 2002 interview with The Independent, Aarons remarked, ''I knew everyone. They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn't hurt them. I was one of them.'' This access allowed him to document the rich and famous with their guard down, reading newspapers and magazines, talking on the phone, relaxing by the pool, and chatting with friends. The 1957 photograph The Kings of Hollywood, for example, which won him wide acclaim, shows Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart laughing together as they celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Many of Aarons’s best-known images involve games and sports. In the 1972 Poolside Backgammon, two young women play the board game of the title against the backdrop of a majestic Acapulco estate. In 1958’s Cannes Watersports, a couple attempts to glide across the Golfe de la Napoule on Jet Skis, one expertly and one hanging on for dear life. And in Penthouse Pool, shot in Athens in 1961, a young woman wearing a yellow bathing cap smiles coyly at the camera, surrounded by friends and brightly colored seat cushions, with the Acropolis faintly visible in the background.
Among Aarons’s books are 1974’s A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life, and its 2003 sequel, Once Upon a Time. His final book, A Place in the Sun, was published in 2005, one year before his death.
Find a collection of vintage Slim Aarons photography on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Bristol, CT
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- A Map Of Western Long Island Sound Showing Yacht Clubs, Aids To Navigation...Located in Bristol, CTClassic color map/ nautical chart (by Nolf Klep '39) of the North Shore of Long Island Sound for members of the Larchmont Yacht Club (see verso) Image Sz: 1...Category
1930s More Prints
MaterialsPaper
- Slim Aarons Bailey's Beach Club SRBA Newport, RI SurfingBy Slim AaronsLocated in Bristol, CTArt Sz: 13"H x 10"W Frame Sz: 14 3/8"H x 11 1/4"W In gilt bamboo frame w/ UV glass Freddie and Howard Cushing original color page featured in "A Wonderful Time" published 1974Category
1970s More Prints
MaterialsPaper
- The Captain Macedoine CocktailLocated in Bristol, CTOriginal recipe for The Captain Macedoine Cocktail as written down by William Mcfee published 1921 at the Sign of the Chorobates, New Haven Art Sz: 11 1/2"H x 8 1/4"W Frame Sz: 16"...Category
20th Century More Prints
MaterialsPaper
- "The Story Map Of The West Indies" 1936Located in Bristol, CTFramed colour map of the West Indies published 1936 w/ border design motif adapted from native West Indian handicraft and indigenous tropical fruits Colorte...Category
1930s More Prints
MaterialsPaper
- "Colors And Cheers w/ Harvard/ Yale/ Princeton Pennants" 1898Located in Bristol, CTVintage sheet for the musical score, Black Cupid's Birthday: March- Two Step by Seneca G. Lewis Published 1898 w/ 3 Ivy League School Pennants Image Sz...Category
Late 19th Century More Prints
MaterialsInk, Magazine Paper
- "XX Siecle: Panorama 70: XXXIV" w/ Original Lithographs by Chagall and SoulagesLocated in Bristol, CT1970 12 1/2" x 9 3/4" Articles on Chagall, Vasarely, Gilioli, Soulages, Magnelli, Manessier, Crippa, Rothko and more. With both original lithographs by Chagall...Category
1970s Abstract More Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Untitled (Youngster), Tony Figueira, photographyBy Tony FigueiraLocated in Windhoek, NAUntitled (Youngster), Undated (printed c. 2014). Inkjet Print on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta Satin Paper, 1/1 Tony Figueira (1959 – 2017)Tony Figueira was born in 1959 in Huambo, Ang...Category
2010s More Prints
MaterialsSatin Paper, Inkjet
- Dice Series, Purple Sparkles Six - Conceptual Color PhotographyBy Heidler & HeepsLocated in Cambridge, GBA purple sparkly dice suspended on a black background, hypnotically curious in both content and technique, viewers find themselves pleasantly puzzled. Heidler & Heeps have developed ...Category
2010s Pop Art Color Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
- The Sad Nude - Vintage Phototype Print - 1969Located in Roma, ITThe Sad Nude is a phototype print realized in 1969 by an unknown artist. Signed and dated on the plate, illegible. Good conditions except for foxing and some folding on the margins...Category
1960s Contemporary More Prints
MaterialsPaper
- Telephone V, Ballantines Movie Colony, Palm Springs - Interior Color PhotographyBy Richard HeepsLocated in Cambridge, GB'Telephone V' part of Richard Heeps 'Dream in Colour' Series. This cool Palm Springs interior photography combines a softened monochrome palette and a mid-century modern nostalgic v...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
- Barber Shop, New York - Neon Color Street PhotographyBy Richard HeepsLocated in Cambridge, GBBarber Shop, New York City street neon. This artwork is part of Richard's portfolio of street photography he is building up which depict the colour, fabric and structure of cities wi...Category
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
- Dice Series, Green Five - Conceptual Color PhotographyBy Heidler & HeepsLocated in Cambridge, GBA green dice suspended on a black background, hypnotically curious in both content and technique, viewers find themselves pleasantly puzzled. Heidler & Heeps have developed their own...Category
2010s Pop Art Color Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin