Life among the legends: Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn and Joan Collins among the stars on show in new Terry O'Neill retrospective
- Faye Dunaway, Brigitte Bardot and Rod Stewart also appear
- O'Neill among the most famous photographers of the 1960s
- Contemporary David Bailey also has a retrospective this year
By RUTH STYLES
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From a rare photo of Audrey Hepburn relaxing in the pool to a snap of Rod Stewart cuddling up to a mare and foal, Terry O'Neill's work includes some of the most intimate celebrity portraits ever taken.
Now the British photographer's work is the subject of a new retrospective which charts his 50-year career on the frontline of fame.
Among the stars to appear in the photographs on display at the Little Black Gallery in Chelsea are Frank Sinatra, O'Neill's former wife Faye Dunaway and Brigitte Bardot.
Stunning: This unusually intimate portrait of Audrey Hepburn relaxing in the pool was taken in 1967
Backstage: Elizabeth Taylor photographed putting her make-up on in her dressing room in 1977
Others featured in the exhibition include Elizabeth Taylor, David Bowie, Joan Collins and iconic 60s model, Jean Shrimpton.
So how did Terry O'Neill, a man whose career began, rather humbly, as a member of the photographic unit at London's Heathrow Airport, become one of the UK's most famous post-war photographers?
Rather wonderfully, it all began with a chance encounter with the then Home Secretary, Rab Butler, who O'Neill snapped as he was nodding off while waiting for a flight.
The photo hit the headlines and O' Neill moved to Fleet Street, where as a staff photographer for the now defunct Daily Sketch, he photographed everyone from Laurence Olivier to the Rolling Stones.
Along with contemporaries, David Bailey, who also has a retrospective this year, Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy, O'Neill had, by the mid-1960s, become one of the UK's most sought-after photographers.
Iconic: Joan Collins photographed at home in the 1970s and an unusual 1975 portrait of David Bowie
Glamorous: Faye Dunaway pictured at the Beverley Hills Hotel, the morning after winning the Oscar for Network
Intimate: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1971 (left) and Tony Curtis on the set of The Boston Strangler
The Queen, Winston Churchill and The Beatles all featured in his work, but it was in Hollywood that he cemented his reputation for portraits that showed the subject in an unexpectedly intimate light.
'I was suddenly being invited onto the film sets of the most beautiful women in the world, from Bardot to Elizabeth Taylor,' he remembers in a memoir penned for his website.
'I was suddenly being invited onto the film sets of the most beautiful women in the world, from Bardot to Elizabeth Taylor,' he remembers in a memoir penned for his website.
'Rock bands and musicians let me go backstage – in the days when photographers weren’t allowed.
'One minute I’d be on the set of a Bond movie, the next I’d be at a Hollywood studio hanging out with the biggest stars in the world.'
He would later go on to marry one of his subjects, Bonnie and Clyde star Faye Dunaway, at the time one of the most famous women in the world.
Four-legged friends: Rod Stewart gets up close and personal with a mare and foal in Old Windsor in 1971
Close-up: Iconic model Jean Shrimpton photographed with actor Terence Stamp in 1963
Controversial: A 1968 portrait taken for Esquire magazine featuring actress Raquel Welch tied to a cross
Both muse and model, O'Neill's portraits of Dunaway are among his most iconic, with some, including a wonderful shot of her relaxing poolside after winning the Oscar for Network in 1977, featured in the new retrospective.
Speaking about O'Neill and his impact on 20th century photography, Tamara Beckwith, co-founder of The Little Black Gallery and a long-standing friend of the photographer, said:
'It goes without saying that Terry is one of the greatest photographers we have ever produced on these shores.
'It is only fitting that we should celebrate his achievement with an exhibition of his most iconic images.'
The Best of Terry O'Neill opens today at The Little Black Gallery in Chelsea and runs until the 1st March. See thelittleblackgallery.com for more information.
Speaking about O'Neill and his impact on 20th century photography, Tamara Beckwith, co-founder of The Little Black Gallery and a long-standing friend of the photographer, said:
'It goes without saying that Terry is one of the greatest photographers we have ever produced on these shores.
'It is only fitting that we should celebrate his achievement with an exhibition of his most iconic images.'
The Best of Terry O'Neill opens today at The Little Black Gallery in Chelsea and runs until the 1st March. See thelittleblackgallery.com for more information.
Relaxed: A quirky portrait of British actors Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in Los Angeles in 1979
Famous: This 1971 image of Brigitte Bardot by Terry O'Neill is one of the most famous ever taken
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