On Wednesday eve, Mr. Taylor and I were invited to a reception at the Staley-Wise Gallery in Soho, to view an installation of photographs by legendary photographer, Bert Stern. Titled Jewels, Stern has selected several of his most famous portraits, including those of Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and (of course) Marilyn, as well as '60s super-dollybirds Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. But what makes this exhibit special, is that Stern has glittered each print with crystal appliques, along with its frame, giving these iconic images added sparkle, hence the title of the show.
One favorite image from the show was a black and white portrait of Marilyn holding a silk scarf over the lower half of her face, like Sheherazade, and he had lightly dusted the draping of the scarf with silver glitter, giving her a spookily sultry aura. Another piece we dug was a large uncut-sheet of day-glo serigraphs Stern did for Avant-Gard magazine in 1962, featuring Monroe.
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