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A unique combination of Beaton's photographic work and pen portraits, covering his world from the Bright Young Things of the 1920s to the Peacock Revolution of the 1960s.
About the author
SIR CECIL BEATON (1904-80) was educated at Harrow and Cambridge. His photographs first appeared inVanity Fair and Vogue in the 1920s.During World War II he served in the British Ministry of Information, covering the fighting in Africa and East Asia. The foremost photographer of his day, he also designed the settings and costumes for numerous films and plays, and was a published and well-known diarist. Beaton was knighted in 1972.
HUGO VICKERS is a biographer, lecturer and broadcaster. He was invited to become Cecil Beaton's authorized biographer in 1979 and has since 1987 served as Beaton's literary executor.
Summary
This beautiful collection of fabulous photographs and incisive pen portraits captures the world of Cecil Beaton, one of the most celebrated portrait photographers of the twentieth century.
Additional text
"Essential. From this moment on we will not enter a house that doesn't have a copy."
"his fashion polymath status would put us all to shame, and today it would have made him the world's edgiest blogger. Luckily for us though, it's all in perfect print."
"beautifully produced volume of his most iconic sitters"
"the perfect gift for those who like not just to glance at glamorous faces but to understand what lies beneath."
"absorbing book ... I haven't seen a better portrait of the 'living sculptures' Gilbert & George."
"this wonderful collection comes with Beaton's equally illuminating pen portraits."
"What's particularly thrilling about this book is that the sitters embody the most interesting people of the twentieth century, from all professions and backgrounds, from Winston Churchill to Coco Chanel."
"a more rounded pictures of this fascinating photographer and his extraordinary subjects."
'[Cecil Beaton: Portraits and Profiles]...would also make the perfect present for anyone interested in the social, intellectual and artistic scene of the twentieth century.'
