FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edward Quinn
Photographing Hollywood during the Golden Fifties on the French Riviera
September 8 – October 14, 2006
Opening reception: Friday, September 8, 7-9pm
302 N. Robertson Blvd. (near Beverly Blvd.), West Hollywood, CA 90048
Christophe Guye, Director
(310) 358-9396, fax (310) 358-9396,
E-mail, info@scaloguye.com
Web site, http://www.scaloguye.com
Hours, Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or by appointment
Edward Quinn, “Alain Delon and Jane Fonda, Cote d’Azur”, gelatin silver print, printed later, estate print, open edition, 11 x 14 inches.
Audrey Hepburn in the gardens of the Casino in Monte Carlo, and with Monaco harbor in background, 1951. She was practically unknown when she came to the South of France to work on the French Film Monte Carlo Baby in 1951 (her name appeared as Audrey Hopbern in the press release, a long way down the list of credits), but she sent the pictures Quinn shot to her Hollywood agent and consequently got the leading role in Roman Holiday, opposite Gregory Peck, for which she won an Academy Award.
On arriving for the film festival, Grace Kelly is presented with a copy of Ciné Revue fresh off the press, 1955. When French Magazine Paris Match came up with the idea of arranging a meeting between Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly in 1955 to add some sparkle to the staid image of the palace, it was Quinn who was sent as a photographer; he arranged his record of the meeting from the point of view of the future princess with “fate tapping on her shoulder”.
Edward G. Robinson and Kirk Douglas talking shop in front of the Carlton Hotel, Cannes 1953. Robinson had won the best actor award at Cannes in 1949 for House of Strangers and was also well known for his important collection of French Impressionist paintings. He eventually sold most of them to the shipping magnate, Stavros Niarchos.
These are only three of the twenty-eight interesting stories attached to twenty-eight captivating photos, which have never been shown in Hollywood, and will be seen for the first time on September 8, 2006.
The exhibition will open on September 9, 2006 with an opening reception on Friday, September 8, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The opening reception is co-hosted by Variety, Moet & Chandon, and Petrossian Paris. Please RSVP at <mailto:rsvp@scaloguye.com> by September 6.
Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00am–6:00 pm or by appointment.
Sincerely,
Christophe Guye, Director
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EDWARD QUINN
Nationality: Irish
Born/Died: Born 1920/Died 1997
Edward Quinn, born 1920 in Ireland, lived and worked as a photographer since the 50’s on the Côte d’Azur, which was during the “Golden Fifties” the playground of the celebrities from the world of show biz, art and business. Where the glamorous stars of Hollywood came to the Riviera to relax. But the movie stars knew how much their off-screen image counted and Quinn was at the right place at the right time and was able to get spontaneous and enchanting images which catch the charm, sophistication and chic of a legendary era. Another reason that makes these works so amazing is that Edward Quinn developed friendships with the subjects, so we get to see them in a natural way, very different than the image Hollywood put out.
Amongst a great number of celebrities captured on film by Quinn may be mentioned Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brandon, Kirk Douglas, Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, John Wayne, Edward G. Robinson, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Aristoteles Onassis, Maria Callas, Winston Churchill, and Somerset Maugham.
In 1951 Edward Quinn met and photographed Pablo Picasso for the first time. Their friendship lasted until Picasso’s death in 1973. This encounter with Picasso was to be greatly influential to Quinn himself and to his subsequent work. Quinn is the author of several books and films about Picasso.
Since the 60s Quinn concentrated his work on artists, amongst them Max Ernst, Alexander Calder, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dali, Graham Sutherland, and David Hockney. In the late 80’s an intense relationship, similar to his friendship with Picasso, linked Quinn to Georg Baselitz.
Since 1992 until his death in 1997, Edward Quinn lived near Zurich with his Swiss wife Gret.
SCALO publishing house Zurich, Switzerland published two books. Edward Quinn: A Côte d’Azur Album in 1994 and Edward Quinn: Stars, Stars, Stars in 1997. Both books are out of print for years. Some rare copies of the books will be available for purchase at the opening night of the exhibition.
