NEW YORK, March 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legendary photographer Slim Aarons, whose portraits of Hollywood stars and A-list socialites helped define the “cult of celebrity” itself, would have been right at home at a luxury hotel in New York – just as he was for decades in glamorous settings that ranged from Mustique to the French Riviera. It’s fitting, then, that a new exhibition of his work, co-curated by Quin Arts curator DK Johnston and Getty Images Gallery, is scheduled to open at the Quin, starting on April 12. The exhibition of nearly 20 Slim Aarons works, from the Getty Images archive, will be featured in the hotel’s triplex Penthouse Suite and selected public spaces through the end of 2018. All gallery-quality prints will be available for purchase for the duration of the show.
Though Aarons would become renowned for his portraits of celebrities in their “natural habitats,” ranging from luxury yachts to the beaches of Italian islands, his training as a photographer came under much more rigorous circumstances in the US Army. Born in New York City in 1916, George Allen ‘Slim’ Aarons joined the armed forces in 1935. By the time of his graduation from West Point, he was official photographer for the military academy.
He served as a combat photographer in World War II, covering the North Africa campaign, the fall of Tobruk, and eventually, the liberation of Rome. Aarons was wounded on assignment and awarded a purple heart for bravery. Tragically, however, his twin brother Peter died in action. Despite the heartache of war, Aarons had become enamored with Italy and moved to Rome after the war to open a bureau for Life magazine.
Aarons photographed stars of the Italian film scene, including Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, and directors such as Fellini and Antonioni. He moved back to the US In 1951 with his new wife, Lorita Dewart, whom he met at Life, and settled on the west coast. He transitioned from documentary to celebrity photography, moving to large-format color portraits. Aarons kept up with celebrities and socialites by traveling to the French Riviera, the Greek and Italian islands, Mustique, Bermuda, Monte Carlo and Monaco.
As a 2006 obituary in The Guardian noted, Slim Aarons was “ahead of his time in creating the cult of celebrity,” contributing to publications including Town and Country, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Travel & Leisure, and Life, and supplying them, “with a regular stream of marquises and princesses, ladies and hostesses, horse shows and luxury hotels, jazz musicians and politicians, and - above all - private pools, polo-players, playboys and girls.”
Aarons portraits of stars ranged from Truman Capote and Gore Vidal to Louis Armstrong and President Kennedy, and almost all the Hollywood greats of his period including Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, James Stuart, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Tony Curtis, and Janet Leigh. As a testament to his immersion in the Hollywood movie scene, Aarons even appeared in four films in the 1960s. James Stewart's character as a photographer in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller, Rear Window, was reportedly loosely based on Aarons, with the set a replica of his apartment.
Aarons works have been published in collections including, A Wonderful Time: an Intimate Portrait of the Good Life (1974), Once Upon a Time (2003) and A Place in the Sun (2005). In 1997 Aarons consigned his extensive collection to the Getty Foundation. The Getty Images Gallery is the home to the Slim Aarons collection. With a physical presence in London and a digital platform bringing the world closer to photographic art, the Gallery has unique access to one of the world’s largest privately owned archives.
For more information on Quin Arts, visit www.thequinhotel.com. Information on pre-show sales is available by emailing DKJ@artsfund.com or Lauren.Katz@gettyimages.com. The Quin is managed by Highgate, a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company whose growing portfolio includes more than 100 properties in gateway cities worldwide.
About The Quin
The Quin, New York City’s quintessential luxury lifestyle hotel, is located on the corner of 57th Street and 6th Avenue. At the intersection of art, music, and fashion, its privileged Midtown location provides effortless access to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Museum of Modern Art and Fifth Avenue couture. The Quin melds modern opulence with its rich artistic heritage in each of its 208 thoughtfully appointed guestrooms, including 28 suites. Guests enjoy urbane and intelligent services from the Quin concierge team, who curate each guest’s New York experience, to distinguished amenities such as a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness center, Apple equipped drawing room, Dux® beds by Duxiana®, and Fresh® Spa Products. Guests can also indulge at The Wayfarer, a classic American grille, located adjacent to the hotel. Renowned architecture and interior design firm, Perkins Eastman, has transposed a contemporary masterpiece on the classical foundation that was once home to cultural icons like pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski and artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Follow the Quin @thequinhotel. Reservations are available at 1-855-447-QUIN (7846) or http://www.theQuinhotel.com.
About Getty Images Gallery
The Getty Images Gallery brings you closer to the images that have illuminated modern history, the faces that have defined the times, and the art that inspires, alongside the moments that only the camera can capture. A gallery in London which operates as the city’s largest independent photographic gallery, and an online service with unique access to one of the world’s largest privately-owned collections, the Getty Images Gallery both showcases and curates world-class exhibitions. With archives holding millions of negatives, prints and transparencies from the 1850’s to the present day, and vast contemporary libraries featuring the most creative photographers of the moment, our aim is to make this incomparable collection accessible to all. http://www.gettyimagesgallery.com
About Highgate:
Highgate is a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company widely recognized as an innovator in the industry. Highgate is the dominant player in U.S. gateway markets including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu. Highgate also has an expanding presence in key European markets through properties in London, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna and Prague. Highgate’s portfolio of global properties represents an aggregate asset value exceeding $10B and generates over $2B in cumulative revenues. The company provides expert guidance through all stages of the hospitality property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition. Highgate has created a portfolio of bespoke hotel brands and utilizes industry leading proprietary revenue management tools that identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive outperformance and maximize asset value. With an executive team consisting of some of the industry’s most experienced hotel management leaders, the company is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. Highgate maintains corporate offices in New York, London, Dallas, Chicago and Seattle. For more information, visit highgate.com.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b82af61b-555c-44e2-8a45-9db7a763d686
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