Cecil Beaton
Portraits
One of the most significant and multi-faceted photographers of the 20th century, Cecil Beaton’s (1904-1980) captivating portraits were exhibited for the first time in Turkey at Pera Museum.
The exhibition focusing on Oscar winning costume designer Cecil Beaton was curated by Terence Pepper, the Senior Advisor on Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and included portraits of artists, actors, writers, intellectuals and royalty from between 1920s to the 1970s, from the collection of Sotheby’s Cecil Beaton Studio Archive.
Cecil Beaton worked in a variety of media ranging from painting, illustration, caricature, theatre and film costume design (winning two Oscars for the latter category for ‘Gigi’ and ‘My Fair Lady’), as well as being a best-selling author, photographic historian, diarist, and occasional actor. However it is as a photographer that most critics agree that he made his most important contribution to the arts.
Beaton’s photographs define a glittering generation, as he captured from behind his camera lens the great and famous personalities of the 1920s to the 1970s - from eminent artists, to iconic actors, influential philosophers, and international royalty. These intimate portraits tell the story behind the public veneer of the sitter, illuminating their private lives and relationships with Beaton himself.
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