Photos of Cecil Beaton for the first time in the Czech Republic! What Did he Think about ´his´ Celebrities?
He became the official photographer of the Buckingham Palace, for which he was knighted in 1972. At a luxurious exhibition, Cecil Beaton, Photographer of Queens at the Museum Kampa, you can see exclusive photos from the public and private life of Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family.
In addition, he served as a "spy photographer" during World War II abroad and also made luxury photos for Vogue. Such stars, queens of the silver screen, posed for him, as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo or Elizabeth Taylor, as well as men like Mick Jagger.
What did the famous photographer think about celebrities who posed for him?
Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) very much enjoyed to judge the personalities that he photographed and didn´t go far for harsh criticism. He criticised them with enormous pleasure and in addition to the fact that he had a lot of real friends in higher circles, he also had many enemies.
Are you interested in what he said about Marilyn Monroe?
"...Miss Monroe is only a made-up seductress. She is as common as a maid from the Rhineland, innocent as a sleepwalker. She only pretend-plays to be adult."
And what did he think about Elizabeth Taylor?
"She is all that I dislike. I have always hated her vulgarity (hers and that of her husband´s, obviousness, limitation, gross lack of taste...”
And how did he describe famous Mick Jagger?
"He is very gentle and has great manners. I was fascinated by the concave lines of his body, his legs, hands ... he is beautiful and ugly, feminine and masculine at the same time, a good companion, a rare phenomenon."
Works of Cecil Beaton may be admired until 7. October 2018 in the Czech Republic for the first time ever. The exhibition of unique photographs is adorned by a luxury Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, extended version of 1946.
