Close up studio shot | 7A Small

Close up studio shot | 7A SmallA pioneer for female photojournalists, Eve Arnold is one of the most influential photojournalists of the 20th century. Expressing their very essence in each photograph, Arnold photographed her subjects in an intimate and informal manner. A master of black and white and colour photography, Arnolds photographs of Marilyn Monroe are some of her most famous works. The pair developed a deep sense of companionship throughout their decade long friendship. In

A pioneer for female photojournalists, Eve Arnold is one of the most influential photojournalists of the 20th century. Expressing their very essence in each photograph, Arnold photographed her subjects in an intimate and informal manner.

A master of black and white and colour photography, Arnold’s photographs of Marilyn Monroe are some of her most famous works. The pair developed a deep sense of companionship throughout their decade-long friendship.

In 1960 back in California after shooting The Misfits, Arnold arranged a sitting in a studio with Marilyn. Although Arnold preferred location shoots as opposed to studio shoots, as they would usually result in more natural photographs, at this point in Marilyn’s career it was increasingly difficult to achieve privacy on a location session. This combined with Marilyn’s natural tendency for posing, resulted in a choice to do studio sessions. Arnold recalls this as a happy shot with Marilyn laughing a lot.

In this colour portrait, we can see both Arnold’s ability to photograph people in a vulnerable and informal way, as well as a piece of Marilyn’s true essence. In the intimate image, Marilyn’s face takes centre stage, and, with Arnold’s perfect balance of colour and light, the famous actress’s sensuality and personality are conveyed perfectly.

Fascinated by Monroe’s natural ability in front of a camera, Arnold captured the actress in a way no one else had, in her quiet and vulnerable moments. Arnold’s candid images exhibit the often-unseen side of Monroe, showing the softness and innocence of her authentic self. The photographs captured on The Misfits set are among the last ever taken of the famous actress.

In a career spanning six decades, Eve Arnold photographed people from all walks of life, from the Hollywood elite and political figures to manual labourers. With curiosity as her biggest driving force, Arnold showed incredible bravery throughout her career, putting her commitment to capturing reality above all else, making her photographs a part of history.

A holographic, silvered certificate with archive approved facsimile of Eve Arnold’s signature accompanies each numbered edition.

Each digital C-type print is produced from the original negative which has been scanned and then printed digitally using a process called Light Jet. This process is often used when an original negative is too fragile to print from directly when printing multiple images.

Arnold’s original negatives are retained by Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University.

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