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Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

American, 1925-2019

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.

Shop authentic Ormond Gigli photography and prints on 1stDibs.

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

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Artist: Ormond Gigli
3 Matadors, Seville (1952)
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Gelatin Silver Print 22.5" x 16" Unique: $5225 Provenance: From the artist's studio, Printed by artist Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York City, 192...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Neff
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Neff, 1954 Gelatin Silver Print 13.5" x 10.5" Unique: $6500 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born Ne...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Sophia Fountain
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New York, NY
Sophia Fountain, 1960 color coupler print 16 x 16" ed. of 30
Category

1950s Modern Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Girl with Oxen, Portugal
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Silver Gelatin Print 27.25" x 23.5" Unique: $5400 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York Cit...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Portuguese Boy, Portugal
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Portuguese Boy, Portugal (1952) Vintage Gelatin Silver Print Printed by Artist 11 3/4" x 8 1/2" Unique: $3000 Signature: Hand-signed by artist, signed en verso Provena...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Emille Griffiths
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Santa Monica, CA
ORMOND GIGLI was born in New York City in 1925. He became famous early on during the 1950s for his photographs of theatre, celebrities, dance, exotic persons & places. His work appea...
Category

1950s Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Girls in the Windows
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Photograph is hand-signed and editioned by the artist and comes directly from the artist's studio. It is available in additional sizes. It is available framed or unframed. Featured price includes existing framing. Contact us for more information. Girls in the Windows...
Category

1960s Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Ann Schaufuss, 'The-Gatsby-Look'
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New York, NY
Ann Schaufuss, 'The-Gatsby-Look', 1973 C Print 22 x 22 inches Ormond Gigli (American, b.1925), famous in the 1950s for his photographs of theater, celebrities, dance, and exotic people and places, was born in New York City. His photographs were featured in prominent magazines, such as LIFE, Time, Paris Match, Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, and many others. He has created portraits of Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Gina Lollobrigida, Diana Vreeland, Giancarlo Giannini...
Category

1970s American Modern Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Models in the Windows, New York City
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Santa Monica, CA
In 1960, while a construction crew dismantled a row of brownstones right across from my own brownstone studio on East 58th Street, I was inspired to, somehow immortalize those buildi...
Category

1960s Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Girl in Light
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New York, NY
Girl in Light, 1967 (printed later) color dye coupler print (c-print) 17 x 16" edition of 75 51 x 49" edition of 10 signed, dated and numbered by the artist
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1960s Modern Ormond Gigli Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

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Ormond Gigli portrait photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ormond Gigli portrait photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ormond Gigli in archival pigment print, pigment print, 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 contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Ormond Gigli portrait photography, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Michael O'Brien, Mark Morrisroe, and Art Shay. Ormond Gigli portrait photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,000 and tops out at $75,000, while the average work can sell for $6,500.

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