Slim Aarons' 1976 photograph of bathers at the Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, is a masterful capture of vintage glamour and the epitome of Mediterranean elegance. This iconic image, steeped in the lore of the French Riviera, juxtaposes the serene turquoise pool with the rugged beauty of the coastline, creating a visual dialogue between nature and human ingenuity. The composition, featuring sunbathers in minimal swimwear against a backdrop of majestic rocks and distant mountains, evokes a timeless sense of leisure and luxury. Aarons' lens immortalizes a moment in time where the world's elite converge to bask in the sun-drenched splendor of this legendary retreat.
The Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night," has long been a sanctuary for the titans of literature, film, art, music, politics, and high society. This photograph not only captures the physical allure of the locale but also its storied history as a playground for the influential and the illustrious, which includes figures from literature and music (Cole Porter, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Stefan Zweig, Noël Coward), film (Marlene Dietrich, Alain Delon, Elizabeth Taylor, who brought all of her husbands there, and every Hollywood A-lister in town for Cannes), art (Chagall, Picasso, Matisse), music (John and Yoko, Jane and Serge, Ella Fitzgerald), politics (Churchill, De Gaulle, the Kennedys), and high society (the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson). Aarons' work, with its precise attention to color and composition, invites collectors to own a piece of this casual glamor, where every detail speaks to a legacy of opulence and sophistication.
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, 1976 (Printed Later)
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
6 sizes available
Framing options available
Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century.
The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone.
Photograph is unframed
Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp.
Collector will get the next number in the edition
* Undercurrent Projects is pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). Please contact us for additional photographs from Slim Aarons *
Antibes is a resort town between Cannes and Nice on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur). It’s known for its old town enclosed by 16th-century ramparts with the star-shaped Fort Carré. This overlooks luxury yachts moored at the Port Vauban marina. The forested Cap d’Antibes peninsula, dotted with grand villas, separates Antibes from Juan-les-Pins, a chic resort with buzzing nightlife and the Jazz à Juan music festival.
Increasingly known for his influence, Aarons's casually glamorous jetset aesthetic can be seen today in fashion, art, and celebrity photography. He's also been credited with inspiring the sun-soaked, escapist style of top Instagram influencers.
Reference: "Dive in: how Slim Aarons art directed the poolside summer. French brand Maje are the latest label to take inspiration from Slim Aarons’ pictures of the jetset on holiday.”
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Vintage Slim Aarons, Vintage Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc photograph,
Vintage Antibes...