Skip to main content

Lillian Bassman Art

American, 1917-2012
Born 1917, Brooklyn, New York; died 2012, Manhattan, New York. Lillian Bassman became one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 1940s and 50s while working under the tutelage of the legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch at Harper’s Bazaar. Her sense of artistry and movement redefined fashion photography and gave sophistication to what had been a fairly staid medium. In the 1970s she abandoned commercial work but continued to practice photography for the rest of her life. Bassman developed a unique style through her high-contrast black and white images and her dark room techniques in which she would blur and bleach the images, giving them a mysterious, dreamlike quality. In the 1990s she was asked to photograph the Haute Couture collection for The New York Times Magazine, marking her return to fashion photography and the renewed commercial interest in her style. Her art has enjoyed a revival that has placed her squarely at the forefront of the history of fashion art photography. Bassman’s work is held in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Center for Photography, Woodstock, New York, among others.
(Biography provided by Serge Sorokko Gallery)
to
4
3
2
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
2
4
4
2
2
1
1
1
38
15
2
3
38
79
77
70
60
4
Period: 1940s
Artist: Lillian Bassman
The Well-Dressed Leg: Dorian Leigh, New York
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed in pencil, verso 14 x 11 inches, sheet size 11 x 10.25 inches, image size This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Lillian Bassma...
Category

1940s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

The Well-Dressed Leg: Dorian Leigh, New York. Harper's Bazaar, 1948
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin Silver Print 16x20 inches
Category

1940s Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Across The Restaurant, Le Grand Vefour, Paris, Harper's Bazaar
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Model: Barbara Mullen. Dress by Jacques Fath. All editions are signed by the photographer.
Category

1940s Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Lillian Bassman Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen, c. 1947 Vintage gelatin silver print image size: 13 x 10 1/2 inches frame size: 29 x 24 3/4 x 1 3/4...
Category

1940s Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Related Items
Bert Hardy 'Mercedes Racer' Limited Edition Photograph by Getty, 20x24
Located in San Rafael, CA
Argentinian race car driver Juan Fangio (1911 - 1995) in his Mercedes at Le Mans, June 1955. The race saw the death of Mercedes team mate Pierre Levegh and 80 spectators. Original Pu...
Category

1950s Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Vintage Print Silver Gelatin Signed Photograph Don King Boxing Promoter
By Fred McDarrah
Located in Surfside, FL
Signed in ink and with photographer stamp verso and hand written title. Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter known for his involvement in historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction (King was pardoned in 1983 by Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes, with letters from Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, George Voinovich, Art Modell, and Gabe Paul, among others, being written in support of King.), and civil cases against him. King's career highlights include, among multiple other enterprises, promoting "The Rumble in the Jungle...
Category

1990s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Black and White, Silver Gelatin

Vintage Print Silver Gelatin Signed Photograph Jack Kerouac Street Sign Photo
By Fred McDarrah
Located in Surfside, FL
signed in ink and with photographer stamp verso and hand written title.. Jack Kerouac, He called himself Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac); 1922 – 1969 was an American novelist and poet ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Black and White, Silver Gelatin

Mexico, Landscape, Black and White Photography, 1960s, 23, 2 x 17, 2 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
Hanna Seidel (1925 to 2005) lived and worked in Argentina for many years. She was a world traveller, journeying to South America in the 1950s and to Central America, Japan, India, an...
Category

1960s Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Black and White, Silver Gelatin

Slim Aarons, Beverly Hills Party (Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons Safari Party at Romanoff's, 1950 Chromogenic Lambda print Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate. Guests at a ...
Category

1950s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Large Vintage Print Silver Gelatin Signed Photograph Greenwich Village New York
By Fred McDarrah
Located in Surfside, FL
A rare black and white photograph of the famous 10th street coffee house gallery in NYC which served as the center of the art, poetry and music scene during the 1960's and 70's, attracting the likes of Andy Warhol, John Chamberlin...
Category

1960s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Black and White, Silver Gelatin

Vintage Print Silver Gelatin Signed Photo President Richard Nixon Innaugural
By Fred McDarrah
Located in Surfside, FL
Photograph signed in ink and with photographer stamp verso and hand written title. Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United Stat...
Category

1990s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Black and White, Silver Gelatin

Paul McCartney, Partner, Black and White Photography 17, 7 x 20, 3 cm
By John Young
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Category

1970s Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Vintage Signed Silver Gelatin Photograph Beat Poet Peter Orlovsky Beatnik Photo
By Fred McDarrah
Located in Surfside, FL
Peter Orlovsky reads poem disrobed at Judson Memorial Church. Behind him is Allen Ginsberg - December 6th, 1964. (by Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, New York City.) Phot...
Category

1960s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Vintage Print Silver Gelatin Signed Photograph President Bill Clinton Portrait
By Fred McDarrah
Located in Surfside, FL
signed in ink and with photographer stamp verso and hand written title. William Jefferson Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III; August 19, 1946) is an American politician who ...
Category

1990s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Black and White, Silver Gelatin

Pictorialist Photography, "Pensive Woman"
Located in Rochester, NY
Pictorialist photograph of a young woman. Silver print in the original oak frame. Inscribed on reverse R.S. Paddock, Early 20th century. Pictorialism is the name given to an interna...
Category

1910s Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Kings of Hollywood (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Kings of Hollywood (Slim Aarons Estate Edition), 1957 Film stars (left to right) Clark Gable (1901 - 1960), Van Heflin (1910 - 1971), Gary Cooper (1901 - 1961) and James Stewart (19...
Category

1950s American Modern Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Previously Available Items
Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Lillian Bassman Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen, c. 1947 Vintage gelatin silver print 13 x 10 1/2 inches signed on verso
Category

1940s Lillian Bassman Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Lillian Bassman art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Lillian Bassman art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Lillian Bassman in silver gelatin print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Lillian Bassman art, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Neal Slavin, John Albok, and Danny Lyon. Lillian Bassman art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $8,000 and tops out at $63,270, while the average work can sell for $9,500.

Artists Similar to Lillian Bassman

Recently Viewed

View All