Cecil Beaton developed a distinctive style of photography where the subject was immersed in backgrounds made of unusual materials such as paper-mâché or aluminum foil. A socialite who rubbed elbows with royalty, celebrities and the wealthy aristocracy, the British photographer captured some of the most famous names of his time.
Beaton was born in London in 1904 to a successful lumber merchant and amateur actor. He received his first camera as a gift at age 11. Beaton later attended St. John’s College in Cambridge and studied art, history and architecture. He dropped out in 1925 and went to work in the family lumber business, but his free time was spent absorbed in photography.
Beaton befriended Sir Osbert Sitwell, who was captivated by his photographs and funded his first exhibition. It was an immediate sensation, leading to work with major magazines.
With a photography contract from Condé Nast, Beaton left for New York. By the end of the 1920s, he had worked as a staff photographer for Vanity Fair and Vogue. He continued to cultivate his unique portraiture style and published his work in several books. One of his greatest achievements was a commission from the British Royal Family in 1939, a relationship which endured for decades. During World War II, he served as a wartime photographer in Africa and East Asia.
After the war, Beaton returned to private portrait commissions. He also began designing costumes and sets for theater and the silver screen, winning an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Gigi and awards for costume design and art direction for My Fair Lady. He also won costume design Tony awards for the Broadway shows Quadrille, My Fair Lady, Saratoga and Coco.
Beaton designed the sets and costumes for a production of the opera Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and then at Covent Garden, London. His diaries, which were scrapbooks of his life and interests, have garnered wide interest, and several volumes of them have been published.
On 1stDibs, find Cecil Beaton’s photography, drawings and watercolors, paintings and more.
$7,500
The Second Mrs Tanqueray Act III 1950 Haymarket Theatre Costume Watercolour by C
By Cecil Beaton
Located in Bristol, CT
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's "The Second Mrs Tanqueray" Act III, signed Beaton (MR) from the Haymarket Theatre, London 1950 stage production. Provenance: Palm Beach Galleries...
Paper, Watercolor
French Fashion Sketch - Red Wrap Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Bold French gouache fashion sketch of a flowing wrap dress in deep red with floral detailing. Signed lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold bor...
Gouache, Paper
French Fashion Sketch - Ballerina Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Delightful gouache fashion sketch of a ballerina style dress in a deep forest green. Fabric swatch attached upper right. Signed lower left. Original ...
Gouache, Paper
$590
H 40 in W 28 in
Abstracted Letter Sunset, Vintage Miami Style Colors, Earth Tones Figures
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Abstracted Letter Sunset" is an abstract painting by Spanish artist Natalia Roman. These color field paintings are inspired by both modernist shapes of ...
Acrylic, Gouache, Paper
$1,580
H 40 in W 82.6 in
Three Corals Together, Modern Marine Triptych, Colorful Illustration Style
By Romina Milano
Located in Barcelona, ES
In this vibrant triptych, Romina Milano explores the delicate vitality of fragile ecosystems through coral-like formations that pulse with chromatic intensity. Each panel exists as a...
Acrylic, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
$350
H 5.32 in W 4.73 in
Tulips. Gouache Painting, Abstract, Figurative, Floral, Polish artist
By Bożena Lesiak
Located in Warsaw, PL
Contemporary floral still life figurative gouache on paper painting by Polish artist Bozena Lesiak. Painting is in a small format. Bozena Lesiak's art embodies beauty of nature and i...
Paper, Gouache
$349
H 5.32 in W 4.73 in
Tulips. Gouache Painting, Abstract, Figurative, Floral, Polish artist
By Bożena Lesiak
Located in Warsaw, PL
Contemporary floral still life figurative gouache on paper painting by Polish artist Bozena Lesiak. Painting is in a small format. Bozena Lesiak's art embodies beauty of nature and i...
Paper, Gouache
$1,580
H 40 in W 82.6 in
Poppies and Wildflowers, Botanical Painting Triptych, Illustration Style Prairie
By Romina Milano
Located in Barcelona, ES
Poppies and Wildflowers unfolds as a lyrical triptych, where fluid brushwork and a vibrant yet balanced palette evoke the quiet vitality of spring. Red poppies emerge among delicate ...
Acrylic, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
$670
H 28 in W 20 in D 0.1 in
Backlit Window, Figurative Italian Still Life, Black Bottles Silhouette on Paper
By Gio Bellagio
Located in Barcelona, ES
Backlit Window is a beautiful original painting by Gio Bellagio that signals a subtle shift in still life compositions. Rooted in the Italian lifestyle, the painting reduces bottles ...
Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor
$670
H 28 in W 20 in D 0.1 in
Early Breakfast, Figurative Italian Still Life, Mediterranean Oranges on Paper
By Gio Bellagio
Located in Barcelona, ES
“Early Breakfast” is a contemporary still life evoking the ease of the Italian lifestyle through clean geometry and luminous color. A bowl of oranges and a translucent bottle sit wit...
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Paper
$890
H 40 in W 28 in D 0.1 in
Brutalist Columns, Abstract Black and White, Cryptic Text, Oil Crayon on Paper
By Alberto de Blobs
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is a beautiful painting by Alberto de Blobs (Barcleona, 1982). Alberto is a talented painter whose elaborate mixture of figurative and free form ...
Watercolor, Oil Crayon, Paper
Flowers in a glass, resting on a book
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Jean-Louis PREVOST (attributed to) (Nointel, 1745 – Paris, 1827) Flowers in a Glass, Resting on a Book Gouache on paper H. 38.5 cm; W. 30.5 cm Unsigned The biography of Jean-Louis P...
Gouache, Vellum
$349
H 5.12 in W 5.91 in
Peonies. Gouache Painting, Abstract, Figurative, Floral, Polish art
By Bożena Lesiak
Located in Warsaw, PL
Contemporary floral still life figurative gouache on paper painting by Polish artist Bozena Lesiak. Painting is in a small format. Bozena Lesiak's art embodies beauty of nature and i...
Paper, Gouache
An Athlete
By Cecil Beaton
Located in London, GB
Oil on board, signed (lower right), 56cm x 41cm, (64cm x 49cm framed). The pictures is good condition, which has been cleaned recently. The frame is the original frame, which althoug...
Oil, Board