Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
American, 1916-2006
American photographer Slim Aarons captured the 20th century’s international jet set — U.S. socialites, European royalty, Hollywood stars — at play in sun-kissed locales like Monaco, Saint-Tropez and Palm Beach, as well as other luxurious settings around the globe.
Committed to eschewing makeup and artificial lighting, Aarons created images that are at once candid and polished, combining the relaxed posture of his subjects, who trusted him to document their lives, with the visual sharpness of a seasoned art director. Having gotten his start taking pictures for the U.S. military magazine Yank during World War II, he contributed over the course of his career to Life, Town and Country and Holiday magazines and published several books.
Aarons was born in Manhattan in 1916. He joined the army at 18, shooting military maneuvers at West Point before serving as a combat photographer, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. After the war, he moved to California and began snapping socialites and movie stars.
In the 1950s, Aarons opened a bureau for Life magazine in Rome, where he took pictures capturing the postwar scene. He was always able to win the trust of his elite subjects, who saw him as close to a peer, rather than a paparazzo.
In a 2002 interview with The Independent, Aarons remarked, ''I knew everyone. They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn't hurt them. I was one of them.'' This access allowed him to document the rich and famous with their guard down, reading newspapers and magazines, talking on the phone, relaxing by the pool, and chatting with friends. The 1957 photograph The Kings of Hollywood, for example, which won him wide acclaim, shows Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart laughing together as they celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Many of Aarons’s best-known images involve games and sports. In the 1972 Poolside Backgammon, two young women play the board game of the title against the backdrop of a majestic Acapulco estate. In 1958’s Cannes Watersports, a couple attempts to glide across the Golfe de la Napoule on Jet Skis, one expertly and one hanging on for dear life. And in Penthouse Pool, shot in Athens in 1961, a young woman wearing a yellow bathing cap smiles coyly at the camera, surrounded by friends and brightly colored seat cushions, with the Acropolis faintly visible in the background.
Among Aarons’s books are 1974’s A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life, and its 2003 sequel, Once Upon a Time. His final book, A Place in the Sun, was published in 2005, one year before his death.
Find a collection of vintage Slim Aarons photography on 1stDibs.
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Period: 1970s
Artist: Slim Aarons
Item Ships From: New York
Slim Aarons 'Sunbathing In Antibes'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Dani Geneux (left) and Marie-Eugenie Gaudfrin sunbathing at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France, August 1976.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Underwater Drink' (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Underwater Drink
1972 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
A woman drinking from a coconut underwater in...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Eye Of The Beholder'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Eye Of The Beholder
1974 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
A man c...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons Phil Richards Pool
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Phil RIchards Pool, 1970
C Print
30 x 40 inches
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity.
A poolside party at Phil Richards' home in Fort La...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Pebble Beach'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Riders from the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center wend their way through the Californian sand dunes and pampas grass, November 1976.
Estate stamped and han...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons, Pool At Las Brisas
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Pool At Las Brisas, 1972
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Guests in the pool at th...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Catching The Sun In Cortina'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Catching The Sun In Cortina
1976 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Giuliana Gerolinetto, Maria Cristi...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Keep Your Cool, Slim Aarons
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Keep Your Cool, 1978
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity.
Carmen Alv...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons Saint Tropez Seafront
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Saint-Tropez Seafront, 1970
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
The seafront in Saint-Tropez, ...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Cafe in Monte Carlo (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Diners on a cafe terrace in Monte Carlo, Monaco, 1975.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Slim Aarons (1916-2006) wo...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Gstaad Skier'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Vail Skiers, 1964
Chromogenic Lambda Print
Estate edition of 150
Skiers in Vail, Colorado, March 1964
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authentici...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Hang Gliding'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Hang gliding in Kitzbuhel, Austria,1980.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Slim Aarons ...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Snorkeling Holiday (Turks and Caicos)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
A snorkeling holiday in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, circa 1975.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate ...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons, Party in Bermuda (Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Party in Bermuda, 1979
Chromogenic Lambda Print
Estate edition of 150
A party on the deck of the yacht 'Ondine' in Bermuda, June 1970.
Estate stamp...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Pool At Las Brisas (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Pool At Las Brisas, 1972
Guests in the pool at the Las Brisas Hotel, Acapulco, Mexico, February 1972.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Annevoie (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
1980, Jean and Christiane de Montpellier d'Annevoie float across the moat of their home, Annevoie, Belgium.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authe...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Clifftop Pool (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Guests around the clifftop pool at Warren Avis' villa 'La Barranca', Las Brisas, Acapulco, Mexico, January 1971
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of a...
Category
1970s American Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Saint Tropez Seafront
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Saint-Tropez Seafront, 1970
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
The seafront in Saint-Tropez, ...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Party In Bermuda' (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Party In Bermuda
1970 (printed later)
C print
A party on the deck of the yacht 'Ondine' in Bermuda, June 1970.
Estate stamped and hand n...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Habitation Leclerc'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Habitation Leclerc
1975 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Bathers w...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Speedboat Landing' (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Speedboat Landing, 1973
Chromogenic Lambda Print (C Print)
Estate edition of 150
August 1973: A motor boat arrives at a jetty in Porto Ercole, Italy.
Estate stamped an...
Category
1970s Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Winter Wear, Cortina d'Ampezzo (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Caption:Manuela Bormanero and a friend holiday in the Italian ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, March 1976.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of aut...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Hotel De Paris In Monaco (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
The entrance to the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco, June 1977.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity ...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons, Acapulco Pool
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Home of architect Arturo Pani, Acapulco, Mexico, 1971
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Slim Aarons (1916-2006) w...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons Winter Wear, Cortina d'Ampezzo (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Caption:Manuela Bormanero and a friend holiday in the Italian ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, March 1976.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authe...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Social Call, Las Brisas, Acapulco (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Social Call, Las Brisas, Acapulco, 1972
Chromogenic lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
El Venero, Marbella, Spain
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
El Venero, the Moorish villa of Hector and Chico de Ayala in Marbella, Spain, 1971.
Slim Aarons worked mainly for society publications, taking pictures of t...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Barbados Bliss (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Barbados Bliss, 1976
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Ava Marshall...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Pool At Las Brisas
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Pool At Las Brisas, 1972
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate edition of 150
Guests in the pool at the Las Brisas Hotel, Acapulco, Mexico, February 1972...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Guest at Villa Nirvana (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Guest at Villa Nirvana, 1972
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Guests at the Villa Nirvana, ...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Sunbather on Rock (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
A sunbather on a rock by the seaside pool at Jacques Couelle's home 'Monte Mano', on the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy, August 1973.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of...
Category
1970s Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Speedboat Landing (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
August 1973: A motor boat arrives at a jetty in Porto Ercole, Italy.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Slim Aarons...
Category
1970s Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Ladies Of Lyford Cay
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Grace, Mrs Dauphinot, Marina Posson and Baroness Meriel de Posson in Lyford Cay, New Providence Island, April 1974.
40 x 40 inches
$3950
30 x 30 inches
$3350
24 x 24 inches
$3000
...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Ladies Of Lyford Cay
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Grace, Mrs Dauphinot, Marina Posson and Baroness Meriel de Posson in Lyford Cay, New Providence Island, April 1974.
40 x 40 inches
$3950
30 x 30 inches
$3350
24 x 24 inches
$3000
...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Ladies Of Lyford Cay
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Grace, Mrs Dauphinot, Marina Posson and Baroness Meriel de Posson in Lyford Cay, New Providence Island, April 1974.
40 x 40 inches
$3950
30 x 30 inches
$3350
24 x 24 inches
$3000
...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Top People's Eatery, San Francisco, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Journalist Lucius Beebe beside a gold place setting in t...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Top People's Eatery, San Francisco, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Journalist Lucius Beebe beside a gold place setting in t...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Commander Whitehead
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Commander Edward Whitehead (1908 - 1978), the public face of Schweppes, leans on a silver Rolls Royce at Lyford Cay, New Providence Island, April 1974. Commander Whitehead served in ...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Acapulco Pool
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Architect Arturo Pani and his wife by their swimming pool at home in Acapulco, Mexico.
Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide.
Undercurrent Projects is proud to o...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Acapulco Pool
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Architect Arturo Pani and his wife by their swimming pool at home in Acapulco, Mexico.
Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide.
Undercurrent Projects is proud to o...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
By The Pool In Acapulco
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A tanned man surrounded by young women in bikinis by the pool at Warren Avis's villa in Acapulco, Mexico, January 1978.
Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide.
Un...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons, 'Beach at St Tropez' (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sunbathers on the beach at St. Tropez, France, 1977.
Slim Aarons
Beach at St Tropez
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Stamped and hand numbered by the Slim Aarons Estate.
Certificate of Au...
Category
1970s Realist Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Keep Your Cool'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Keep Your Cool
1970 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Caption: Carmen Alvarez enjoying a game of backgammon with F...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Colourful Crew'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Colorful Crew, 1970
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150
with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
A group of colourfully d...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Boats At Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Boats At Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
1969 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Caption: Motorboats moored off the Hotel du ...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Architect at Home'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Architect at Home
1977 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Caption: Architect Philippe Talien at his villa 'Bastide ...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Pool In St Tropez'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Pool In St Tropez
1970 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Caption: Guests around the pool at a villa in St Tropez, ...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Keep Your Cool' Mid-century Modern Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Keep Your Cool, 1978
Chromogenic Lambda print
40 x 60 inches
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity.
Carmen Alvarez enjoying a...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Keep Your Cool' Mid-century Modern Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Keep Your Cool, 1978
Chromogenic Lambda print
40 x 60 inches
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity.
Carmen Alvarez enjoying a...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons, Pool At Las Brisas
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Pool At Las Brisas, 1972
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
Guests in the pool at the Las Brisas Hotel, Acapulco, Mexi...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons, Kaufmann Desert House (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Kaufmann Desert House, 1970. (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
A poolside party at a desert house, de...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Poolside Friendship'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Poolside Friendship
1970 (printed later)
Chromogenic Lambda Print
Estate edition of 150
Nelda Linsk (left, in yellow), wife of art dealer Joseph Linsk with guests by the pool at the...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Keep Your Cool'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Keep Your Cool, 1978
Chromogenic Lambda print
40 x 30 inches
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity.
Carmen Alvarez enjoying a...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Eye Of The Beholder'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Eye Of The Beholder
1974 (printed later)
C print
Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150
with Certificate of authenticity
A man contemplates the sunbathers by a swi...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Snorkeling Holiday (Turks and Caicos) Slim Aarons
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Snorkeling Holiday (Turks and Caicos), 1975
Chromogenic lambda print
A snorkeling holiday in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, circa 1975.
Estate stam...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Saint-Tropez Sunbathers' (Slim Aarons Estate Esdtion)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Saint-Tropez Sunbathers, 1971
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Holidaymakers lounging on the deck of their luxury y...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Party In Bermuda' (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Party In Bermuda
1970 (printed later)
C print
A party on the deck of the yacht 'Ondine' in Bermuda, June 1970.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with cert...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Private Island, Philippines'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Private Island, Philippines
1973
Chromogenic Lambda print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150
with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
A guest relaxing on the beach of a private island owned by Philippine Airlines...
Category
1970s Modern Slim Aarons Figurative Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons figurative photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Slim Aarons figurative photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of figurative photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, purple, green and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Slim Aarons in c print, silver gelatin print, digital 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 Slim Aarons figurative photography, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Mark Shaw, Neal Slavin, and Bob Gruen. Slim Aarons figurative photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,350 and tops out at $7,015, while the average work can sell for $2,750.