Ormond Gigli
Oxen in the Rain, Portugal, Barcellos (1952)
1952

Name: Oxen in the Rain, Portugal, Barcellos (1952)
Brand: Ormond Gigli
Price: 4725 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Ormond Gigli Gelatin Silver Print Printed by artist 17.75" x 20.5" Unique: $4725 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York City, 1925 Ormond Gigli became famous early on during the 1950s for his photographs of theatre, celebrities, dance, exotic persons & places. His work appeared prominently on covers & editorial pages of LIFE, TIME, PARIS MATCH, SATURDAY EVENING POST, COLLIERS, and other major international publications. Gigli's groundbreaking portraits include Sophia Loren (at age 21), Anita Ekberg, Marcel Duchamp, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Gina Lollobrigida, Diana Vreeland, Giancarlo Giannini, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Sir Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates, Richard Burton, & many more. Most of these images have not been widely seen since they first appeared over four decades ago. Gigli worked more like a film director than a photojournalist. His ability to earn his subjects' trust in his vision -- often during complicated, uncomfortable, even dangerous setups -- was as important to the photos as his technical finesse with the camera. His disarming way with his subjects is evident in the revealing anecdotes of the people and times he so vividly recalls. He was welcomed backstage on Broadway as readily as he was in the private lives of celebrities. Some of Gigli's favorite photographs were self-assigned, international award-winners, such as "Girls in the Windows" photographed in 1960. During the 70s and 80s Gigli turned to advertising photography, while continuing his editorial work. His assignments took him around the world many times. Today, his photographs appear in prominent Galleries throughout the world.

Creator:

Ormond Gigli (1925, American)

Creation Year:

1952

Dimensions:

Height: 17.75 in (45.09 cm)Width: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)

Medium:

Silver Gelatin

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Framing:

Framing Options Available

Condition:

Gallery Location:

Lenox, MA

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU1801211468542

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Ormond Gigli

Ormond Gigli (1925–2019) was a highly regarded American photojournalist, best known for his breathtaking portraiture and surreal fashion photography. With a career spanning over four decades, Gigli's visual narratives appeared in prominent international publications such as TIME, LIFE, Paris Match, and Colliers.

Gigli began his journey in the 1950s, gaining recognition for his captivating photographs of theater, film, and dance. His subjects were a medley of cultural icons — Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Anita Ekberg, Marcel Duchamp, Willem de Kooning, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Liza Minelli, Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates, Richard Burton, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and many more.

Gigli’s approach to portraiture was as much about his technical prowess and compositional elegance as it was about his ability to elicit his subject's spirit and character, a skill that would mark him as one of the luminaries of his time, akin to contemporaries such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Diane Arbus.

Yet, the pièce de résistance of Gigli's illustrious career is the iconic photograph known as Girls in the Windows, taken in 1960. This masterwork exemplifies Gigli's innovative vision and ability to transform the everyday into a tableau vivant of unparalleled aesthetic appeal. The image depicts 43 women poised in the windows of a New York City brownstone, exuding an ephemeral vibrancy that captures the essence of 1960s fashion and art photography.

Born in New York City in 1925, Gigli's passion for photography blossomed when he received his first camera from his father. After graduating from the School of Modern Photography in 1942, he served as a Navy photographer during World War II. Post-war, Gigli lived the bohemian life in Paris, before returning to New York where his career took off in 1952 after a series of celebrity portraits for LIFE magazine.

Gigli's modus operandi for Girls in the Windows was to immortalize the beauty of the soon-to-be-demolished buildings opposite his East 58th Street studio. Within the constraints of a two-hour window, Gigli meticulously arranged models, some of whom volunteered from an agency, some friends, and others being his wife and the demolition supervisor's wife. The final result was a symphony of color, form, and life, beautifully encapsulated within the frames of the brownstone windows.

Gigli recalled in an interview with TIME magazine: "What had seemed to some as too dangerous or difficult to accomplish, became my fantasy fulfilled, and my most memorable self-assigned photograph. It has been an international award winner ever since. Most professional photographers dream of having one signature picture they are known for. Girls in the Windows is mine."

Today, Girls in the Windows stands as a testament to Gigli's creativity and daring. As vibrant and evocative as it was in 1960, the photograph continues to resonate, its allure undiminished by the passage of time. Much like the timeless works of his contemporaries, Gigli's photograph is an ode to the beauty of everyday life, captured in a moment of extraordinary serendipity.

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(Biography provided by International Fine Arts Consortium — IFAC Arts)